


Devil of the Classroom

by xxAriaxx



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Drama, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Enemies, Friendship, Growing Friendships, Other, Slice of Life, Students, Teachers, junior high school, life - Freeform, lots of characters, sad childhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2018-09-23 15:52:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 54
Words: 117,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9664277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxAriaxx/pseuds/xxAriaxx
Summary: Last year of Junior High, and 24 students are placed together as a class under the ruling of Mayu, a strict teacher who enforces her rules as coldly as she can. While only a very few students easily break away from her harsh views of life, the rest of their classmates slowly fall under her rules, and those few try to save them as much as they can.





	1. Start of a New Year

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time uploading in this site orz. I uploaded this on FanFiction and wattpad. I hope it comes out fine ;;

The last year of junior high school is a time when students are anxious to depart and start their high school life the following year and make memories with their classmates. The first day of ninth grade has finally arrived, and she had already lost her school contact book within the mess in her home.

Desperately searching, the green haired girl muttered profanities under her breath, wishing she had never picked up her parents' sloppy lifestyle. Gumi just had to carelessly leave her book lying around somewhere in her home, and her parents just had to litter the house entirely with their junk of trash, clothes, work papers, and other useless junk. For nearly ten minutes, the girl had been so focused on finding her book, she ignored the rings of her cellphone as well as the doorbell signalling that someone is waiting outside her home.

The sounds of the doorbell combined with the ringing of the phone continued on for the next two minutes, and the greenette never acknowledged the sound. After another minute, the sounds stopped. Gumi would never notice since she was still searching for her lost book.

So focused, she wouldn't noticed that someone casually walked into her home and stood behind her.

"Hey, Gumi…"

Surprised by the sweet voice filled with concerned behind her, Gumi quickly bolted up and turned, nearly preparing her body into a karate position. Upon seeing who the uninvited guest was, she relaxed and gave the brunette in front of her a small, nervous smile.

"Morning, Kokone." Gumi greeted her best friend, the girl who barged into her home without her consent. "You could have just ranged the doorbell or called me, you know, instead of barging into my house and scaring me like that," she told her, sighing and laughing in nervousness. Her friend had given her a look immediately after hearing those words.

'This girl, did she seriously not hear me ringing the bell and calling her for several minutes!?' Not even wanting to scold her friend that she, indeed, had called and ranged for quite a while, the brunette simply sighed. "What are you doing?" Kokone questioned.

"Oh! Well, I kind of lost my school contacts book somewhere…" Gumi muttered and trailed off, scratching the back of her head with her hand. As she had expected, her friend face palmed in complete disbelief. "Seriously, and on the first day of our last year of junior high too…"

"I'm sorry!" Gumi cried out. Sighing, Kokone turns and starts to look around for a bit. "You'll help me find my book, Kokone?" the greenette asked. Before the brunette even responded, her eyes caught sight of a blue covered book lying on a chair near a table. In curiosity, Kokone walks towards, leaving her friend behind. Upon reaching her destination, she grabs the book and simply holds it up behind her so Gumi can have a nice view of her lost school contacts book.

Shocked and amazed that her best friend had found it in ease, Gumi quickly tackles her friend from behind, thanking her multiple times.

"Alright Gumi, I know you are happy and all, but we have to go. First day of school and all, it'd be embarrassing if we were late." Kokone told her friend. Knowing she was right, Gumi quickly placed her book in her bag and, dragging Kokone along, bolted out of her mess of a home.

~~~

"Both of you eat quickly."

In another household, two sisters eat their breakfast made for them by their mother. The older girl is in her junior year of high school, a gorgeous teenager with long, silky, pink hair tied in a single side ponytail, and she was dressed in her high school uniform. Next to her was her younger sister, a young teenager with a rather cute face and long, wavy hair that fell beyond her waist. She was dressed in her school's seifuku, as it is the uniform for girls in the school she attends, and she decided to wear her favorite cat ears on her head for the first day of school.

"So you're now in your last year of junior high school, in ninth grade…" The older girl casually commented to her younger sister after swallowing a small bit of her pancakes. Turning her head to the right towards the blonde girl, she questions, "Who is your homeroom teacher?"

"No clue," her younger sister responded back, then goes to take another bite from her bagel. After a moment of chewing her delicious food, she swallows and continues. "I will find out who my teacher is when I get there today."

"Isn't there a new teacher in your school today?" The girls' mother asked happily while pouring coffee into her mug. "I heard something from Mrs. Itou that a new teacher is coming." The woman with hair as long as her daughters, one side being chocolate brown haired with bangs colored in pink, blue, and yellow, and the other half of her locks died in bright blonde, goes to the table and places more pancakes for her daughters to eat. While doing so, the woman continues on with her gossip. "She said it is a veteran teacher who is excellent, despite being away for two years and recently coming back to teaching this year." Right after saying those words, the woman remembered seeing something relating to her topic.

The mother goes to grab a newspaper nearby and returns to her daughters, holding it out for them to see. She points to them a name circled in red marker. "It is this person," she tells her two daughters. The two teenagers read the name that had been circled.

"Akuno Mayu?" The younger one reads quietly with curiosity in her voice.

"Mrs. Itou also told me that the students in her class have their grades improved. Most of them go on to attend a private school." The woman then looks at her younger daughter with a bright smile on her face. "It would be nice if she is your teacher this year, SeeU. You will definitely get in to a private school just like Uni."

SeeU did not want to be reminded of private school. Every day, she had been nagged by her mother to always do her best and to succeed just so she can go to private school. The girl's grades were not bad, but in comparison to her older sister, Uni, they were not fantastic either. Galaco wishes for her younger daughter to excel and have a great education, and she believed that attending a public high school would not be great for her.

"SeeU," Uni whispered to her younger sister. "If she is your teacher, then you will be spending a year in hell." Upon hearing those words, SeeU turns to her sister. "Why?" SeeU has now gotten curious to what her sister is saying. Despite being constantly compared to her older sister, SeeU had a healthy, happy relationship with Uni and was pleased to have her as her sister. At the moment, Uni telling her that having Ms. Akuno for a teacher is a year of hell has left the blonde growing interested.

"In my high school, there is a student who had her as a teacher before." Uni started to tell her younger sister, who is listening intently. "They told me something. In Akuno Mayu's class…" then Uni's words grew slightly eerie as she continues. "Unbelievable, awful things happen all the time." SeeU's sky colored orbs show a mix of interest and small fear. She wanted to know much more. SeeU has grown interested in what having Ms. Akuno for a teacher is like.

"Awful things? Unbelievable things?" The blonde apprehensively asked her sister.

"Do you want to know?"

"I do want to know, sis."

Slowly, Uni leans towards SeeU's face, her breath hitting the younger girl's nose. For a moment, she had opened her mouth to go on. Then, quickly, she turns back to her food.

"I'll stop."

"Eh?"

"If you hear it, you will soak your underwear and maybe even your skirt."

"What!?" SeeU's heart dropped a bit. The girl was dying to know more. "Tell me, sis! Please tell me!" She had started to grab onto the older girl's arm, begging her to say more. Rather than allowing herself into her sister's whining, Uni continues on with her meal, ignoring the girl next to her.

"What are you two doing? If you don't hurry, you both will be late for school." Galaco scolded her two daughters.

"Ann is picking me up today!" The blonde yelled at her mother.

"Oh, really? Such a sweet friend as always." Galaco responded.

Right after those words were exchanged, a tall man dressed for work entered the dining room and greeted his family.

"Good morning."

"Good morning!" SeeU cheerfully greeted her father.

"You're early today," Uni commented. Usually, the girls' father would wake up a bit later, barely missing his daughters leave for school.

"Today is the start of a new school year," the man cheerfully told them. "I wanted to see your cute faces in the morning on your first day of school." After saying those words, he pets his younger daughter's head, knowing she likes to be petted like a kitten.

"Good morning," Galaco greeted her husband with glee. "Do you want coffee?"

"I drink it everyday," the man responded. "No need to ask, dear." After pouring the drink for her husband, the woman goes to hand him his coffee.

"Will you be late again? Do you know what time you are coming home?" Galaco started to bombard her husband with questions. "How should I know," he responded with slight annoyance in his voice. "Also, didn't I ask you to wake me up earlier? I told you last night I wanted to have a nice breakfast with the girls."

"I did wake you up." The woman started to sound irritated with her husband. "You got mad at me and told me to let you sleep more," she told him in a slight harsh tone.

"Also, when I walked downstairs past the living room, the place was covered in papers scattered all over the floor and unwashed cups on the table. If a guest was to visit unexpectedly, we'd appear to be slobs," The man told his wife with bitterness in his voice. As he was a wealthy business man living in a nice home, he expects his house to represent his status. "Clean the mess up."

"I'll do it later," Galaco responded with a hint of annoyance in her voice while she goes to take some plates off the table. "I'm busy right now."

"You should keep this house clean in the first place."

"Stop complaining so much this early in the morning."

"Stop slacking and lazing around."

"Gah!" Interrupted by the shriek of their younger daughter, the bickering married couple turns to her, noticing the juice she had spilled on the table.

"Oh, SeeU…" her mother grabs a rag and goes to clean up the mess.

"SeeU is clumsy as usual," her father comments with a small grin on his face.

"He he," SeeU chuckled, scratching her head with her hand. Uni looks at her younger sister, well aware that SeeU doesn't like it whenever their parents argue. Once it appears that an argument is about to start, SeeU will always spill or break any nearby items. By doing so, her parents will immediately focus their attention on her and will forget they were even arguing in the first place.

"SeeU!" a voice of a mature young girl cried out for the blonde.

"Oh, Ann is here!" SeeU rushes out of her seat, grabbing her bag and kissing her parents goodbye.

"I'll see you later!" With those words, SeeU departed her home, leaving her family there in the dining room.

~~~

"I can't believe it Kokone~" Gumi sang cheerfully, walking beside her friend on their way to school. "In the last year of junior high school now~ we must make it even better than last year!" Kokone couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's cheerfulness.

"Oh Kokone," Gumi began her dramatic nonsense, her arms rising up to add to her dramaticness. "I want to make lots of new friends and make lots of happy memories. I want to get along with all my classmates. I want to have a great year with everyone."

"Haha, you're saying pretty careless things now," Kokone responded to her friend's semi-dramatic scene.

"Eh… so cruel, Kokone," Gumi pouted to the brunette beside her. "Don't you want to make memories too, and make friends with your classmates as well?" In a serious tone, Gumi asked her friend. For a moment, Kokone looked up, and then answered her friend's question.

"Making memories and new friends are nice," she started. "But just as long as we are in the same class and are still friends, I will be happy enough." Before she could even suspect, Kokone was tackled by the greenette beside her.

"Kokone!" Gumi cheered with glee in her voice. "I am so glad to be friends with you." She said with a smile on her face. Kokone smiled back, and eventually, the two girls fell into a fit of giggles. Kokone and Gumi had been friends since Kindergarten, and no matter what happens, they promised to stay as close friends forever.

After calming down, the two girls continue their walk to school, eager to start their last year of junior high together.

Standing on a bridge, a petite figure stood, watching the two young girls happily laughing to each other and walking together. The woman stared down at the two girls with a blank look on her face. Then, after a moment, a very small smile appeared on her face. In her mind, the two girls were too innocent. They believe they will be friends forever, but are they sure they can truly stay friends? The petite woman slowly opens her mouth and murmurs under her breath.

"Open your eyes."


	2. Morning Assembly

"Do you think we will have an attractive male teacher like Mr. Hiyama this year?"

"Perhaps, we will have a cool teacher like Ms. Sakine for our teacher."

"We'll be in the same class, all four of us, right?"

"Of course!" Ann bolted. "I've requested to the principal that I must be in the same class with you three and Kaito. In addition, I have requested that the beast stays far away from us."

Because she was extremely wealthy and was actually a model, earning lots of money and was very popular to her peers, Ann was capable of asking for anything she wants. In the eyes of the people who adored her and the staff in the school, Ann must be pleased with everything.

"I still want to know who our teacher is," a pink haired girl sitting across from SeeU pouted. "Perhaps it will be Ms. Sakine."

"I said it before, I want Mr. Hiyama as a teacher," a raven haired girl sitting next to the pinkette stated.

"I asked the principals to make sure we have the best teacher possible," Ann told her two friends, Prima and Chika.

"Oh, maybe Ms. Akuno, Ann?" SeeU questioned.

"Ms. Akuno? Who?" Ann looked at the girl next to her with a puzzled face.

"Oh yeah! My mom told me a few days ago that a new teacher is coming to our school," Chika informed her friends. "My mom said the teacher had taken off from her job for two years, but is excellent."

"Excellent? Wow." Prima gaped at the information she heard. "Ann, perhaps we will have this Akuno lady as our teacher."

"If Ms. Akuno is an excellent teacher, then I won't mind having her this year." Ann told her friends. SeeU was about to agree along with Prima and Chika, only to recall the words of her sister earlier that morning.

"If she is your teacher, then you will be spending a year in hell."

"Chika," SeeU called for her friend's attention.

"What is it, SeeU?"

"Has your mom said anything else about Ms. Akuno?"

"Hm…" Chika sat there, thinking of what else her mother had said about Ms. Akuno. "Nothing else, just that she is coming to our school and is good at teaching."

"Well…" SeeU started. "My sister told me-"

Before the girl could even continue, the car stopped, and then in a few seconds, the driver opened the door for the girls.

"We made it to school, ladies." Ann's driver told the girls. They thanked him and departed off the mini limo. Once they had left, the driver went back to his seat and drove off. Before the girls could even move, students start coming up to them, desperately wanting their attention, or, more specifically, Ann's attention.

"Ann, are you excited for the new school year?"

"Do you think we will be in the same class?"

"I love you Ann! I am your biggest fan!"

"Please give me your autograph!"

The students continued to bombard the girls –specifically Ann- with their questions and requests. A scene like this was normal, especially on the first day of a new term. Ann loved the attention like this. She loved the cheers her fans – or ordinary classmates – gave her. She felt confident about herself. Ann also loved her job, as it gave her a ton of attention as well as wealth. In addition, due to her fame, Ann used incidents like this as an excuse to allow herself to have anything she wanted.

At the moment, however, as much as she liked the crowd, Ann wanted to know what class she and her posse were in, confident that they are all together as she personally requested it.

"Hey, everyone, please do me a favor." Ann cried out, earning everyone's attention. "One of you, please look at the board and find my name, in addition to SeeU's, Chika's, Prima's, and Kaito's. After doing so, come back and tell us what class we are in."

Immediately after hearing those words, her fans rushed straight to the board to find the information the girl desired. In a few seconds, a dozen rushed back, having the answer she wanted.

"Class 3-3!"

"Thank you so much~" with that, Ann and her posse walked away, entering the school.

~~~

"Another day of arriving school and seeing the princess getting whatever she wants." Gumi grumbled to Kokone. The two girls had arrived to the school they attend, Bokaro Junior High School, just to witness Ann and her posse getting hoarded by fans. While it was an everyday scene, Gumi and Kokone would rather not see it. Unlike their classmates, the two girls were never fond of Ann. In their eyes, Ann was just a spoiled girl who abused her fame as a model and her popularity in school just to get anything she wants.

"Surely, she demanded to the principal to have her and her friends together in class again." Kokone sighed. "I can't believe the principal actually allows himself to blindly listen to Ann's needy demands."

"Back in seventh grade, Ann bribed one of her teachers into having a passing grade in exchange for a free ticket to her show." Gumi recalled Ann doing the act in the past.

"Ann also gave the school donations at the end of the past two school years just so she won't have to repeat a grade."

As they walked to the board, the two girls complained to each other about Ann. Thankfully, their classmates never bothered to listen to them as they were all too focused on their first day at school. Anyone who dared talked trash about their beloved "princess" was beaten and harassed, and it often would last for months.

Upon reaching the board, the two girls ended their conversation and attempted to find their names on the papers pinned to the board. As the area was crowded with students desperately searching for their names, trying to find their own was quite difficult. After two minutes of looking, Kokone finally found her name, and shortly afterwards, found the name that belonged to her friend.

"Gumi!" Kokone cried, getting the greenette's attention. Both girls left the crowded area quickly so Kokone can give her friend the news without getting pushed around. "We're both in the same class, 3-3!"

Upon hearing they were together, Gumi cheered with Kokone in bliss.

"That's great! We can spend our last year in this school together!"

"I know! Let's go Gumi!" Kokone expressed so happily with her friend, an expression she only gave when she was so happy.

The duo left, eager to enter their assigned classroom. As they walked to their new room, Gumi caught a small glint of white fluttering around. As she squinted, wanting to get a better glimpse of the object, it lands on the ground, allowing the girl to recognize it as a small, white butterfly.

"What are you looking at?" Kokone's voice snapped Gumi out of her trance. The brunette decided to try to see what her friend was staring at.

"Small, white butterfly," was all Gumi answered before she looked back at it, only to notice it was gone. Before Gumi or even Kokone could react, a figure walks by where the butterfly had been. The figure was holding an attendance book, indicating that she is a teacher. The figure had long, creamed color hair and was dressed in a Gothic Lolita fashion. As quickly as the two girls had noticed her, the figure was gone in a glimpse.

"Who was at?" Kokone questioned.

"No idea."

After pausing for a moment, feeling a sense of fear for a millisecond, the two girls decided to simply shrug it off and continue walking to their homeroom.

~~~

Right when school started, an assembly was held in the school gym. Once the bell rang, students departed from their room to head straight to the assembly.

"Hurry up, you guys will be late!" yelled a teacher towards a couple of students. The students soon began to rush to the assembly after being scolded. After the students were out of her sight, the teacher looks around, searching for anyone else.

No one else was around. Satisfied, the woman started to walk to the assembly, only to pause after hearing a footstep.

And another step.

And another one.

The woman turned to the source of the sound, which was right behind her. Once she looked back, she caught the sight of an unfamiliar stranger. The aura around her suddenly grew mysterious.

The figure had left an eerie feeling to the woman, giving her a mystic message.

~~~

"I'm very happy we can have this ceremony with a smile," The principal, Mr. Ueki, announced through the speaker. "Lately, there had been accidents. There had been attacks. Many problems had arrived."

As the principal dragged on his speech, the students stood, either listening intently or blocking out the words.

"So boring…" one student quietly whispered. Many students were already tired of standing in the gym and listening to the long, stale speech the old principal was saying. Even the teachers and the vice-principal had grown bored and wished for Mr. Ueki to end his speech.

After what had felt like an eternity, the speech had finally reached its end, leading the vice principal, Ms. Loid, to announce the next topic.

"At this point, I will announce the homeroom teachers for each class." The bored looks of the students drastically switched to looks of curiosity. Many were curious to who their teachers would be for the year.

"Starting with class 3-1, your teacher is Ms. Sakine." Students in the aforementioned homeroom smiled and cheered, glad that they had the attractive and outgoing Ms. Sakine for the year.

"In class 3-2, the teacher is Mr. Hiyama." Students erupted into cheers of joy, much louder than the students in 3-1 had cheered. Mr. Hiyama was known to be kind and very helpful, so the students of class 3-2 were very pleased to hear he is their teacher for the year.

"Third year, third class, you have the new teacher, Ms. Akuno." The twenty four students in 3-3 looked around, searching for their teacher. The teachers had looked around themselves too. Finally, Ms. Loid turned to look at the teachers.

Ms. Akuno was nowhere in sight.

"Where is Ms. Akuno?" the vice-principal sternly asked with slight irritation in her voice. To be hired as a new staff member, then not show up to the very first assembly, Ms. Loid was clearly not impressed.

"I have no idea," Mr. Hiyama hesitatingly responded.

"How irresponsible, not showing up at the first school assembly…" Ms. Loid whispered, her annoyance growing every second.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Hiyama told Ms. Loid. "I'll go search fo-"

"Ms. Akuno said she was not coming." Ms. Loid and Mr. Hiyama turned to Ms. Sakine. "She said she needed to prepare for her class, so she won't come to the ceremony," Ms. Sakine informed the two.

"What? It's an important ceremony. She shouldn't skip something like this." Ms. Loid tried to stay quiet while saying those words, but the woman was grown annoyed enough that she couldn't keep calm. The students near them were eventually forced to hear the conversations concerning Ms. Akuno.

Ms. Sakine leaned in towards Ms. Loid and tried to answer her in a quiet voice so only Ms. Loid would hear.

"She said there was no need to attend as the speech will be dragged and be a bore."

"Eh? What is that supposed to mean?" At this point, Ms. Loid didn't even bother trying to stay quiet anymore. Her annoyance level had just skyrocketed the moment her ears captured those words.

"I was just told to deliver the message…"

At this point, the students in the gym couldn't stay quiet anymore. Many dissolved into conversation, all of it entirely around Ms. Akuno.

"The new teacher didn't show up."

"Haha, she's late."

"First day of school, and new teacher skips assembly. How bold."

"What could have happened?"

"The new teacher ditched the assembly? Wow."

~~~

After the assembly ended, the students returned to their assigned homerooms. Excluding class 3-3, the teachers had begun their duty to enlighten the teachers the procedures they must be aware of in class and everything they will learn throughout the year. Class 3-3 still remained without a teacher. With no teacher present, the students were quite chatty and energetic. Only a few were quiet.

Gumi continued to peak out of the back door of the classroom, hoping that Ms. Akuno will appear. For a moment, she heard sounds coming from the hallway nearby and believed it was the teacher, only for her hopes to be shattered when the sounds came from a trio of friends – Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha – skipping happily to the classroom. Gumi continued to look for her teacher.

"What are you doing?"

Kokone had grown tired of seeing her friend poking her head out the room and expecting something to happen. Gumi turned to her friend and answered her.

"I'm waiting for Ms. Akuno to show up."

Kokone sighed in response. "She'll show up eventually. Come on, Gumi. Let's go sit somewhere." She then dragged Gumi into the room entirely, and both sat on nearby chairs.

"Kokone, are you going to try to be class president again this year?" Gumi asked her friend. She figured Kokone will most likely try to compete for the role of class president. If the brunette did wanted to do so again, Gumi would be happy with it. Last year, Kokone did an excellent job as the class president.

"Of course I will try for it again," Kokone told her friend. "This year won't be easy though." The girl sighed, then turned around, staring at one of their classmates. Gumi leaned and stared at who Kokone was looking at.

Sitting on the far corner near the window was a tall girl with white hair tied up in a side tail. Instead of socializing with her classmates, the girl sat silently and read the book being held in her hands.

"Flower was the class president in her class last year. She is extremely smart. She doesn't even need to study to get good grades." Kokone informed her friend.

"Really!?" Gumi was clearly shocked. She never met someone who doesn't even need to study to get excellent grades. The girl even looked intelligent too, sitting there reading a book that appeared to be too advanced for Gumi's liking. Kokone then turned back around and faced towards a certain, popular girl in the room.

"And then you have her, who bribed her teacher to let her be the class president." Kokone clearly voiced her distaste in Ann.

"I still can't believe we are stuck in the same class as her." Gumi pouted. Kokone simply nodded in agreement. Gumi then opened her mouth to say something, only to be tackled from behind.

"Hello!" cheered a male voice from behind. Gumi looked up, only to be staring directly at bright, blue orbs that belonged to a face the girl haven't seen for a long time.

"Leon!"

"It's been a while, Leon. Finally, we get to be in the same class." Kokone told the boy.

"I know. Being in a separate class from you two is no fun. The other students aren't fun at all."

The three then engaged themselves into a cheerful conversation, as it had been a very long time since they last got to talk like this together.

~~~

"Ann, are you going to be class president again?"

"Of course I will, SeeU." Ann answered cheerfully.

"Ann, you said you requested that the brat should not be in our class, right?"

"I did, Prima." Ann responded, then turned to where Prima was facing. Ann then noticed red locks and an ahoge sticking out of a girl's head. "You gotta be kidding me. I specifically asked Ms. Loid to make sure she is never in the same room as me," Ann swore. Prima, Chika, and SeeU patted Ann, attempting to comfort the girl. In a few seconds, Ann sighed. "Who else is in our class?"

Ann goes to look around and glance at the people in the room. She then caught sight of Flower sitting in the far corner reading her book.

"There's that bookworm who doesn't need to study at all and still get's straight As," Ann commented.

"Over there is another nerd, except she actually needs to study," Chika answered, pointing towards a girl with long, platinum blonde hair, sitting in a seat and studying, despite class not even starting.

"Miriam is a goody two-shoes," Prima taunted. "She believes everything she says is right and we all must pay attention to her."

"Hey, it's Rin over there. She's the only one in our school who wears a giant, white bow like that." Chika commented, pointing at the girl whose wore a bow on her head.

"Her drawings are pretty good," SeeU commented.

"I tried to talk to her multiple times last year, but she always acts shy. Yet, she can easily talk to Kaito about anything." Ann told her friends.

"I heard Rin would rather hang out with guys than girls," Prima responded.

"I'm amazed she hasn't hanged out with Kyo, Will, and Yu yet." Chika replied.

"Those guys are nice, but they are really into sports," SeeU told her friends.

"So true. I tried to talk to them last year, and all they talked about was sports, sports, sports," Chika bluntly told her friends.

"Oh dear, more nerds…" Ann sighed, pointing at a group of boys studying together.

"Why are they in our class!? I don't like those boys." Prima bluntly commented.

"Al and Bruno are alright," Chika told the girls. "But Tonio is a stuck up jerk. He acts all high and mighty because he has good grades too."

"But Al and Bruno act like they deserve everything just because they are friends with Tonio." Prima told the pink hair girl.

"Really?" Ann asked. "I heard that they act like they are better than us because they are foreigners."

"At least Al and Bruno are fans of Ann…" SeeU quietly told herself, though Ann heard the girl.

"True. I guess I should be happy they at least like me."

"Piko is another nerd." Prima bluntly said.

"For some reason, he hates us." Chika coldly muttered.

"Remember, Chika? Last year, he accused Ann of bribing our teacher for the role of class president."

"So cruel."

The girls then continue their gossip about their classmates. Well, Chika, Prima, and Ann were continuing their conversation while SeeU sat there, listening and nodding to everything they were saying.

"Oliver is a crybaby."

"Gakupo is weird."

"I'm so happy Kaito is in our class. He's so perfect."

"Ugh, Iroha is so annoying."

"Luka acts like she is better than us."

"Tianyi is such a brat."

"Who is that green haired girl?"

"I have no idea. I don't know who the boy and the girl with her are."

"The must be nobodies then. People we don't need to care about."

SeeU turned her head towards the trio containing a blonde boy, a green haired girl, and a brunette with pink colored ends. The three looked so cheerful, talking to each other and laughing. The scene left SeeU recalling her childhood, when she looked so happy talking to Ann, Prima, and Chika. They were so cheerful as children, just like them. SeeU felt complete happiness back then when she talked to her friends.

Now, it seemed as though something was lacking when she hanged out with her friends. Sure, she still hanged out with Ann, Prima, and Chika after school. They still attend dance class together. They still text, Skype, and did many hobbies together. But SeeU didn't feel the same joy lately. She felt something was lost.

Just then, the school bell rang, signalling the class to start teaching.

Upon hearing the bell, SeeU goes to sit at where her stuff was at. The same time, Kyo, Wil, and Yu were chasing each other. When Kyo went to turn away from Yu, his hand slid by SeeU's pencil box, and without realizing it, the box slid along with it. Right when Kyo had run off, the box crashed to the floor, loud enough for everyone to turn towards the source of the sound.

SeeU looked at the mess and groaned, unhappy with Kyo's small action. She bent down to the floor to clean up the mess, even though she never made it in the first place. As she is cleaning, the slide door slowly opens.

Once they hear the sound of the door opening, the twenty four ninth graders in the room slowly turn their heads towards the door. Even SeeU had paused in her cleaning to look up. Then the one who had opened the door takes a step in the room and pauses.

SeeU slowly stares at the figure, starting at the feet. The person who has entered the room wore dark heels with red trimming around it. Black knee length socks with white trimming at the top covered her ankles. The dress the stranger was wearing was also dark and accompanied with red ribbons, and the ends of the skirt was designed to resemble a piano. The dress was sleeveless, and her arms were covered in black gloves that went above her elbows. The girl inherited long platinum blonde hair that fell below her waist, and the ends were a rainbow color. In the left hand of the girl, an attendance book was held. Despite the school rules confirming that hats will not be worn in school, a Lolita fashion style hat was worn on top of the girl's head.

What SeeU noticed most about the girl was her face. She looked so young and innocent, but at the same time, she appeared to be lifeless, showing no signs of emotion. Keeping the same, blank face, the mysterious girl slowly looks around the classroom, staring at each and every student. Finally, her eyes fell to SeeU. The young teen stared straight into the girl's yellow orbs, and realization finally dawned on SeeU of who the girl is.

The figure standing in front of the classroom, the teacher of class 3-3…

Akuno Mayu


	3. Mayu

In what had felt like an eternity, the teacher, pale and emotionless, who had arrived in the room turned to close the door behind her, and then she walks towards the podium in the front of the classroom. All the students in the class could do was stare at their teacher. Once she had settled herself in front of the room, placing her attendance book down, the woman looked up, facing the class.

"Everyone," words started to fly by her mouth. "The bell has already rung." Her voice was youthful, yet lacked emotion as she spoke. "Please take a seat." The woman showed no hesitation or fear of being the teacher of the classroom.

Rather than doing what they were just asked to do, the students just turned to stare at each other. Usually, they are given assign seats on the first day. Wasn't their teacher going to do that? Before anyone could even ask, it was as if she had read their mind.

"You will get your assigned seat later. For now, take a seat." Finally aware that they will be given a seat assigned to them later, the students that had been standing went and filled in all the seats that been vacant. SeeU rushed to pick up all her fallen pencils and placed them in her box. After doing so in seconds, she picked up her box and rushed to the first vacant seat she found, which was next to Gumi.

Seeing that all her students are seated, Mayu continued on. "Now, we will take a test." The very second after those words flew out of her mouth, the students in the class could only stare at her in disbelief then express themselves with shock.

"What!? A test!?" Yuu cried out in shock.

"We just got back here and we are taking a test!?" Tianyi screamed.

"It's the first day of school! Who gives tests out on the first day!?" Al asked in disbelief.

Everyone was turning to each other, asking each other about what they just heard, and complaints were already coming out of their mouths.

"Shouldn't we start by introducing ourselves?" Prima's voice ranged out, more audible than any complaint or comment that had been spoken in the past few seconds. Everyone had stopped talking and with their mouths shut, they turned to face Prima, who sat at the desk in the last row in the center. Facing her teacher who is giving her attention to her, Prima continued. "It is your first day here after all, Ms. Akuno." A slight bit of arrogance was laced in her voice. Being the kind of girl who expects respect from everyone, even teachers, Prima felt it was perfectly okay for her to act as if she was important, even to the point of acting as if she deserves more respect than her superiors. Upon hearing that a test will be handed out, Prima chose to spoke out to her teacher, hoping the woman change her mind.

Naturally, Chika joined in. "Aren't you going to take attendance? Don't you want to memorize our names? You know, the usual?" Chika usually gives her utmost respect to her superiors, but knowing there will be a test immediately, Chika felt no need to act nice to Mayu. Her words were also laced with arrogance. Chika and Prima had believed that with Mayu being new, she wouldn't know what she was doing if she had just chose to hand out a test on the first day. They were told that Mayu was a "good teacher," but in their eyes, handing out a test on the first day, refusing to hand out assigned seats, and not bothering to do introductions first was hints for them that Mayu was not so great. For them, they view it as a way to humiliate their teacher, something they enjoyed doing the previous school year.

Prima and Chika truly underestimated Mayu.

"There is no need for introductions," Mayo responded boldly to the class, specifically directly to the two girls. "I already know all of your names." Mayu's gaze then went straight towards Prima.

"You are Prima Warburn, 14 years old and born on January 14, 2000. You are 156cm tall and you weigh 42kg. You are the daughter of Raphael Warburn and Zunko Tohoku You were born in England, but moved to Japan at age four due of your mom's job." Prima's eyes grew wide in disbelief. How did Mayu knew such basic yet personal information and memorize it? "You have an amazing soprano voice, and at age nine, you auditioned for a role in a National talent show. You didn't make it past the first round because you proved you couldn't even dance properly, and you had caught a sore throat so you weren't able to sing well either. At the age of ten, you grew jealous of your mom giving more attention to your brother, so you threw out the toy dinosaur you gave him that he treasured dearly." The raven haired girl sat there, staring at her teacher with a shock expression. Prima knew nearly nothing about her teacher, yet Mayu seemed to know everything about her just by saying that much. Before anyone could even react, Mayu quickly moved on, changing her glance to Chika.

"Chika Itou, 14 years old and born on October 16, 1999. You are 165cm tall and weigh 46.3kg. You are the daughter of Roro and Mizki Itou. You were an honors student in elementary school and excelled in dance class, going much advanced than your friends achieved. When you started Junior High school, you received poor grades and nearly failed the first year, which is why you dropped out of CFM Junior High and transferred to this school, Bokaro Junior High School. The same year, you were unable to recite the words in a play you were in at Tokyo, leading to public humiliation in your school as well as students mocking you since you had acted arrogant to them up until the event, adding on to why you left and came here." Chika struggled to keep her composure. How did her teacher even knew that information Chika had tried to keep secret?

"You already know my name from the assembly, so there is no need for me to introduce myself," Mayu announced to the class. "Anyone else want an introduction like those two?" No one even got a chance to answer – not that they wanted to anyway as they feared of going through the same humiliation – since Mayu immediately continued on. "It's a waste of time to do so though." Everyone kept their silence. It was best to not say anything.

"From now on, you will have a test every Monday," Mayu announced to her class. "The two students who score the lowest on the tests will be our class representatives." Once again, much like when they heard about having a test, the students were quick to chatter in an uproar. Representatives of the class were usually people who have high grades. The idea that the representatives were the students with the lowest grades was bizarre and unusual.

"Sensei!" Piko called for the teacher's attention. "What does that mean? The representatives are usually students who have good grades. What about the class officers?" Mayu turned to face Piko who sat at a desk near the front where Mayu was at. A few students who were interested in nominating themselves as representatives put their full focus on Mayu.

"In my class, there are only two representatives. There is no such thing as class officers." The students looked at their teacher in shock. No class officers? No president? Vice-president? Treasurer? Students who had planned on attempting to earn a position as a class officer could only stare at their teacher in disbelief.

"The class representatives exist to discourage unwanted thinking and full concentration on what is important, like their studies."

"Discourage unwanted thinking? Full concentration on their studies?" Miriam questioned. Despite having saying it to herself, Mayu had heard her and turned to the left where Miriam was sitting at.

"They are responsible for providing lunch for those who did not bring theirs, cleaning the classroom, taking care of the school rabbit, and all the likes," Mayu went on, and Miriam listened to Mayu intently, growing interested in Mayu already. While some of her classmates were clearly showing dislike for Mayu – especially Prima and Chika thanks to Mayu humiliating them – due to her two unexpected announcements, Miriam had found herself liking Mayu. The teacher shared the same views as the platinum blonde. Miriam had believed in Elementary School that unnecessary thinking should be gone and replaced with complete focus on school.

"I will have them handle all the chores," Mayu announced, and another uproar was created with complaints from the students once those words were announced.

"Doing all the chores?" Kaito asked, hoping he heard Mayu incorrectly.

"What? All the chores?" Kokone questioned.

"Why all the chores?" Bruno muttered in annoyance.

"What the hell is this…" Ann couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"One the other hand," Mayu continued to talk despite the complaints that were going on in her room. "The two students who score the highest will be given special privileges." This brought everyone's full attention. Special privileges for the students who achieve the highest scores? This never happened in their classes during their previous two years of junior high school.

"The big locker in the back of the room that is meant for only the teachers," Mayu focused her gaze on the aforementioned lockers, and the students turned around to stare at them. "Those students will have the right to use those lockers." A few teenagers in the room suddenly found themselves interested in attempting to do well on the test now. The locker was large enough to fit everything they couldn't fit in their small lockers in the back of the room and their desk.

"Just as long as they show up for first period, I do not care if they skip any morning assembly or meeting." A few more kids who weren't so interested in the lockers had gotten interested in the words that had just flown out of Mayu's mouth. Morning assemblies were a bore to them. The chance of skipping them and their teacher not caring had given them the motivation to do well on the test.

However, not everyone in the class were fond of these special privileges if they were to be given to the most intelligent students and not to anyone else.

"That means they get to sleep for an extra thirty minutes!" Wil blurted out.

"What the hell? That's not fair!" Iroha cried out.

"That's special treatment for certain people!" Gakupo added.

"People in this classroom who are stupid and lazy will be treated differently." Mayu went on as usual, uncaring of what her students believe. "Those people will suffer." Everyone focused on Mayu, shocked with her words. "Intelligent people who put effort into their work earn more privileges and live wealthy lives." Facing forward, Mayu continued on.

"That is society."

Without even stopping or letting anyone in her class even grasp what she had announced, Mayu went on. "Do you know how many people can live happily like that and have others below them envy those?" Pausing as if she was waiting for someone to answer, the class of ninth graders could only sit there as they did not have an answer for her question. "Six percent," she began again. "Only six percent can live happily like that. In this country, only six out of 100 people can be happy. In this classroom, there are 24 students, and only six percent of you all can be happy. Of the 24 of you, only one or two of you can live with happy lives."

The twenty four students began to look around, staring at each other. Of all of them, only two can be happy. Some began to wonder who those two are that can truly live happy lives.

"If you want to be apart of that six percent," the students were brought back to reality by Mayu's words. "Then you must make an effort, get good grades in school and enter a good university."

"I don't think it's all about going to a good college," Luka announced her opinion.

"Yeah," Kyo agreed. "What about sports?"

"How about music?" Tianyi added.

Mayu glanced at the three who called out and smirked. "Chances of having successful lives with sports and arts are even lower. People who are first class receive first class education at a young age and put in a great amount of effort into their studies." Mayu then cut off her gaze at the three and looked around the room, meeting everyone's gaze, one by one.

"Do you ordinary people think you can accomplish that?"

"Ordinary?" Ann questioned. She was a well known model in the city and was very popular with the students of Bokaro Junior High School. That comment Mayu had just made left her feeling heavily offended. Her friends, SeeU, Prima, and Chika were not as popular or rich, but they were quite wealthy and throughout their lives, they have felt they were more unique than everyone else. Students like Tonio, Miriam, and Piko have spent most of their lives achieving what they felt were best for them and what was expected of them. They had felt they were better than everyone else. A majority of the class who were not as wealthy or smart were raised in a comfortable lifestyle with loving parents and a nice home. They felt they were fine enough with just that.

They all felt special in different ways, so to be told that they were just ordinary people, and by their teacher of all people to say that, most of the students in the room couldn't help but felt offended.

"You guys in this school, Bokaro Junior High School, you are all way behind of the people who are in famous private schools." Mayu turned her head up, as if the corner of the room her eyes are locked on was more interesting than the students she is teaching.

"Picture it," Mayu told her class. "They live in a wealthy way none of you have ever experienced. They get privileges and freebies that none of you will ever receive. When they are sick, they can simply get examined at the finest hospitals without ever having to wait, unlike you guys. They can easily get the games you all wanted and have to wait for. They can enter an amusement park with special passes and ride all they want without having to wait."

"That's not fair…" Kyo muttered, and despite how quiet he had spoken from the back of the room, Mayu heard him. The teacher looked directly at Kyo.

"Open your eyes." Mayu slowly left her place in front of the podium and continued speaking as she walks around the classroom, through each aisle of rows staring down at each student. "In order for the privileged to live happily, you ordinary people have to pay the taxes and earn low salary. These privileged people, do you know what they want from you?" Mayu had waltz to the back of the room when she released that question from her mouth. As she expected, no one could answer or even say a word.

"They want you to remain stupid forever."

As quickly as Mayu had said those words, Ann aggressively stood from her desk, hands slamming the top and chair roughly pushed back. If the earlier comment of being called ordinary was not enough to push Ann off the edge, everything else that had came out of Mayu's mouth surely did. The model couldn't stand to sit there, being told as if she was lower than those wealthy people when Ann possibly had much more money due to her job.

Turning to Mayu, who is a few steps away from her, Ann glared at her. "Stop saying all of that as if there were no such people as them in this room," she angrily hissed at her teacher. Mayu simply stared at Ann, keeping a straight face.

"Why not? Surely, those who are privileged are not in this room now."

Ann couldn't believe her ears. Did Mayu not know who Ann was?

"Sensei…" a quiet male voice Ann adored had spoken. Turning to the source of the voice, Mayu stared at Kaito.

"What is it?"

"Ann…" Kaito began, but felt the words were growing lost in his throat. While Mayu was not that far from him and just remain standing where she had been, her yellow orbs were staring directly at the boy. The way she kept her gaze at him, so quiet with no sign of emotion anywhere in that face of hers, left Kaito feeling weak as he tried to speak. Kaito was nearly ready to chicken out on what he was to say until he found himself glancing at Ann again and realized why he spoke up in the first place. Knowing he had to protect his dear friend, the blue haired boy quickly earned the strength to speak up again.

"Ann is a privileged person too, just like those you mentioned." Once those words left his mouth, Kaito kept his gaze on Mayu. He believed that after enlightening Mayu on that fact, the teacher would leave Ann alone.

The result was the opposite of what he had expected.

Mayu's emotionless face was soon decorated with a small smirk and she began to walk closer to Kaito, abandoning the blonde who was still standing. Once she got to Kaito's desk, she stood right in front of him, her small and barely noticeable smirk never leaving.

"If she is a privileged person," Mayu began, her voice that had been so serious and lacking any other emotion until now was laced coated with a sense of arrogance. "Then why is she here?"

"Eh?" Kaito sat there, not expecting that question from his teacher.

"Due to a scandal that had happened in a nearby private school leading to a shutdown of it over a year ago, several students in this school had transferred here. Bokaro Junior High School also has a reputation of being the best of the public schools in this district." Mayu enlightened the boy as well as everyone in this classroom with her information. "But as I recall, Ann transferred to this school in the first year, long before the scandal happened in that other school. Why?"

"Sensei, I-" Ann began, ready to reveal her reason, but Mayu cut her off.

"I didn't ask you. I asked him. Since he is kind enough to speak up for you, he should answer the question." Mayu kept her gaze on Kaito. The boy was unsure of what to say. He knew the answer, but he felt too pressured to even let his words come out. Mayu kept a steady, cold gaze at him, and everyone's eyes bored deeply into him, waiting for Kaito to answer the teacher.

"What's wrong? Are you chickening out, or could it be, you chose to defend that girl just because you like her?" Mayu taunted Kaito with those words. Hearing them, Kaito suddenly felt the strength he needed to answer his teacher. He wasn't going to let her mock him. Looking up, staring directly at her eyes, Kaito gave her the answer she asked for.

"Ann came to this school because she chose to. She wanted to be closer to a friend who goes to this school."

Silence then came to the room. Ann couldn't help but admire the blue haired boy even more. Kaito felt relief overcome him. Mayu ended her heavy gaze at Kaito and started walking off back to the front of the room, commenting to the answer she received while doing so.

"How useless."

Ann, Kaito, and several other students in the room gaped at their teacher, stunned by her words. Upon reaching her podium, Mayu began another speech.

"If you were given one day to have special privileges, just like her," Mayu's gaze landed on Ann, indicating who exactly she was referring to. "Would you abandon it all for who you think is a friend, show off all the wealth you have and waste it, or," she cut off her gaze on Ann and her orbs stared directly at every other student in the room. "Would you put the special privileges you were given to good use?"

"What do you mean 'wasting' our wealth?" Chika asked with a look of annoyance.

"Why did you stare at Ann when you said those exact words?" Prima questioned her teacher with slight anger in her voice. She was still unhappy and offended by her teacher's earlier comments that had offended the raven haired girl.

Kaito stood up angrily, once again, earning everyone's attention. "Ann doesn't waste her wealth or shows it off," he yelled at Mayu. At this point, Kaito was convinced that Mayu was antagonizing Ann and her friends. Openly humiliated Prima and Chika, classified them and Ann – as well as quiet SeeU, who is wealthy and a good friend of the three girls – as ordinary and not special, and then calling Ann off for being the kind of person who wastes away her wealth, Kaito felt angry at Mayu. It was as if she was trying to openly offend them, and worst of all, it appeared she didn't even considered how her own students would feel.

"Are you trying to be a white knight now?" Mayu asked nonchalantly, not even bothering to look at Kaito. "I am sure some people here agree with me. Those girls you are protecting, they constantly show off and waste their privileges doing silly things, like for example, attending this school."

Ann, Prima, and Chika stared at their teacher, trying their best not to go up to her and strangle her. Kaito, however, couldn't hold his rage in.

"Can you stop-" he began to yell.

"I agree with Akuno-sensei."

Everyone turned to the source of those words. All eyes fell onto a red haired girl with a strand of hair sticking up. Looking down on her desk to avoid the gazes of her classmates, Miki continued.

"If I were to have the same privileges as those girls, I would put them to good use, like taking extra classes or preparing for my future…"

"I agree," Piko spoke out. "Those girls, all they ever do is spend time together and waste their days away, never caring what could happen in the future."

"I had always envied them for having everything I couldn't have, but the way Akuma-sensei and Furukawa-san say it now, I guess I'm glad I'm not them." Tonio commented. Soon, a few voices spoke out in agreement. Kaito, Ann, and their friends stared at their classmates in disbelief. Sure, they knew Miki would agree that they were wasting their time since the redhead despised them openly. Of course, nerds like Miriam and Tonio would agree too as they either hated them or despised them. Everyone else though, or at least, those who spoke out? The clique thought those people adored them and would defend them alongside Kaito.

"Do you see now?" Mayu's question was aimed directly at Ann. "Did you truly think someone besides Shion-san was going to defend you? You now know, everyone here believes you are wasting your time, and believe me, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have class time wasted." Mayu coldly called off on Ann. "Because of your idiocy and stubbornness, we haven't started the test earlier like I planned to."

Glaring at the creamed haired woman, Ann slowly sat down, and Kaito followed. Ann realized that if she tried to defend herself even more, Mayu would simply find a way to bite back. The blonde then recalled having gone to the office a few months ago, personally requesting that she and her friends are taught by the best teacher. Ann wanted to believe they had ignored that part like they ignored the part where she asked to keep Miki in a separate class, but knowing that Chika and SeeU have enlightened her earlier that their mothers were told Mayu was excellent, Ann figured that Mayu might be the person she herself had requested to have.

The blonde girl was now regretting ever asking for the "best" teacher possible if it meant she had to suffer through this.

Meanwhile, Kaito had realized that even if he tried to defend his friends, Mayu would find a way to hurt them. Chika and Prima found themselves despising Mayu for everything she had said, and she had been in the room for only around twenty minutes now. Some students like Miriam and Tonio, however, found themselves admiring Mayu as the teacher shared the same views and ideals as them.

"Now," Mayu brought everyone's attention back to her. "Without further delay, we will take the test."


	4. A Test Sealing Her Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I'm posting here for the first time, I'm editing my chapters. I hope there isn't too much mistakes here. I tend to be very bad at noticing my errors orz.

Papers were being passed back, each student taking one for themselves before they passed it on to the one behind them. In seconds, every student in the classroom had their own test.

"You have only twenty minutes to take the test," Mayu informed them. This time, everyone had stayed silent, knowing that attempting to talk back would not change their teacher's mind on having a test. "If you studied properly up until now, these questions should be no trouble for you, and you will finish the test in no time."

"Sensei," Yuu called out. "Can I go use the bathroom before we start?" Mayu simply stared at him. "Well… hearing you talk about the bleak future kind of makes me really want to go," Yuu added.

"Saying 'May I go to the bathroom' during class is the same as 'I'm not smart enough to manage my time,'" Mayu informed him, as well as she informed the class. "In my class, you will not be allowed to use the bathroom." Mayu looked directly at Yuu. "Make good use of your class time."

"Eh… Then I'll use the toilet right here." Yuu commented. A few students were ready to snicker, except Mayu was quick to respond to Yuu's comment.

"Go ahead. Do as you please. You just want to disobey me, right?"

You stayed silent, not wanting to say anymore.

"Without anymore delay," Mayu's voice brought everyone's attention back to her. "Begin!"

Everyone in the room turned their test over. Most had instantly grabbed their writing utensils and quickly began to write on their test. A few others simply stared at the test.

Leon sat there, on his desk, pencil in hand. Leon had figured that no one in his class would want to be a class representative and will try hard to get themselves at the top, wanting privileges they most likely will never have. Leon had already decided.

He will not take the test.

Instead of reading the problems and attempting to solve them, Leon simply doodled on his test. With this, he will automatically earn a zero and will become one of the two reps. It didn't matter to him. Just as long as he does the chores, almost everyone in this room can be happy.

Meanwhile, SeeU, who had yet to start as she was simply staring at all the questions, had finally grabbed her pencil. Holding it, she began to write her name. After writing the first character, she went on to write the second character.

And the tip of her pencil had snapped.

Staring at her now broken pencil, the blonde quickly opened her pencil box and grabbed another one, only to see the tip was also broken. She instantly grabbed two more, and there was no tip. Panic was starting to grow inside her. SeeU instantly grabbed her only mechanical pencil, clicking on the end, hoping that lead will come out. There was nothing inside. Realizing this, SeeU quickly went to grab her pencil sharpeners, except they were nowhere to be found in her box.

How on earth were her pencils broken in the first place? SeeU knew she had sharpened them the night before. Perhaps they had broken when Kyo's hand had slipped on her box, resulting in it falling and everything spilled out of it. Was it really possible though? Surely, only one would have broken from the fall, not all of them.

Wondering about how they had all break was to be put aside for later. Right now, SeeU needed anything to write with on her test. Asking Mayu for a pencil was out of the question. The girl has figured that Mayu will most likely refuse to give her one. SeeU looked around the room, trying to find the pencil sharpener. There was none.

At a last resort, SeeU grabbed her first pencil and desperately tried to rip the wood off of the tip, hoping to get lead that way.

From the very back of the room, Flower took her test, bored of it. Finding it to be uninteresting, Flower chose to look up from her test for once, only to spot SeeU trying to get a tip on her pencil with her own hands.

Gumi, sitting next to SeeU, had been focused on her test. SeeU's small action had caught her attention, leading the bespectacled girl to look over. Realizing the situation very quickly, Gumi grabbed her pencil box and took out another pencil, one with a rather dull tip, but was enough to write. Seeing that Mayu was not watching, having her head turned to a different direction, Gumi started to leaned towards SeeU, her arm stretched out to her, pencil in hand. Flower continued to watch the scene. To her, this was more interesting than the test on her desk.

SeeU continued to attempt to get some result from her pencil, failing to notice Gumi's actions. Knowing that trying to call out her name would get Mayu's attention, Gumi leaned in closer to SeeU, trying to get the pencil to her. When SeeU continued to fail to notice, the green haired girl leaned closer, and closer…

Then unexpectedly, Gumi had slipped off her chair. Once she was no longer seated properly, the girl fell to the ground, her head and body making contact with the floor. This accidental stunt had finally caught SeeU's attention, as well as it had grabbed everyone's attention, including Mayu herself. Flower placed a hand on her mouth, hiding the small smile that was growing on her face. Everything she had witnessed was definitely more interesting than the test. Mayu walked towards the fallen girl.

"Are you okay?" Gumi stared at her teacher, who was looking down at her. "Can you stand?" the teacher asked emotionlessly. Realizing that she was no longer seated on her chair and had caught everyone's attention, Gumi went and stood back up.

"I am fine," Gumi announced with a small smile, rubbing her head in embarrassment. All eyes were on her, yet it didn't bother her that she was now the center of attention.

"That's good," Mayu simply told her. "Now get back to your seat and take the test." Gumi simply nodded and went back to her seat. Mayu watched her and then went to turn back.

"Sensei," Gumi called for her. Mayu turned back around.

"What is it?"

"What if someone here was taking the test, then their pencil broke, and it was the only writing utensil they had?" Gumi asked cautiously. She figured that despite being best friends to a few attention seekers, SeeU did not like to be the center of attention at all.

"Then they have no choice but to sit there and watch everyone else take the test," Mayu answered Gumi's question.

'Just exactly what I thought," was the words ringing in SeeU's mind. Indeed, the girl will be a class representative.

\---

Wil and Gakupo were volunteered – under Mayu's command – to take out two of the desks in the room and to return with a brown table, big enough for two students to use. The boys placed it in the back center of the room, as Mayu had asked them to do.

"That desk they just brought in is where the representatives will sit," the teacher informed her twenty-four students. They were all standing in the back, holding on to their belongings. Grabbing the tests, Mayu stared at her students.

"I will now return the tests, starting with the highest grades. Pick any seat that you like." The class simply stared at her, nodding, understanding their teacher's words.

"Of the twenty-four of you, only two students received the perfect score. Those two will earn the special privileges." Mayu continued. "They are Sakurada Tonio and Hanazono Flower." The two students silently walked up to their teacher, grabbing their tests back. Tonio went to sit at the very front, while Flower walked to the very back corner of the room, closest to the windows. Flower sat herself down at the desk farthest from Mayu.

"The third best is Miriam Stockley," Mayu announced. Miriam walked up to Mayu. Upon reaching the teacher, Mayu leaned down a bit. "That's too bad," she whispered to the platinum blonde girl. "Better luck next time," she slightly smiled at her.

Miriam stared at Mayu, a smile growing on her face. "Yeah," she responded. Miriam found herself liking her teacher even more.

"Next is Utatane Piko."

"Yes," the white haired boy responded.

"Shinzou Kokone."

"Yes," Gumi's close friend walked towards Mayu, before slightly turning to Gumi. 'I'll save you a seat,' she mouthed to her friend. Gumi nodded.

"Megurine Luka." The pinkette went up next.

"Luo Tianyi." Luka's Chinese friend followed.

"Kagamine Rin." The blonde girl wearing a white bow on her head came up in response.

"Oliver Stein." The boy wearing an eye patch went up. Mayu continued to hand back tests to the students.

"Bruno Amaro," and the Latino male came up. "Shion Kaito," and the blue haired boy came next."Nakajima Megumi," Gumi walked towards Mayu and received her test back. Sitting on the desk next to Kokone, the girls smiled at each other, glad they both did alright.

'But SeeU will have to be a rep though,' Gumi thought, sighing a bit and feeling slightly gloomy, knowing that there was nothing she could do to prevent that from happening.

"Manabe Kyo," Mayu announced next, and the boy came up to her, grabbing his test back. Then Mayu started to announce the next names at a quicker pace.

"Prima Warburn, Camui Gakupo, Takanashi Yu," and rather than waiting til the students had come up, Mayu began to throw the tests as if they were useless, leading the next students to run towards her, wanting to grab their tests and get seated as soon as possible.

"Itou Chika, Al King, Nekomura Iroha, Takako Wil, Furukawa Miki," and all the students whose names were called rushed to get their tests and get seated. After Miki's name was called, only Ann, Leon, and SeeU were left.

Everyone – excluding Flower, who had no interest in seeing who the reps will be and instead chose to read her book – was facing the three who were left. Only one of them will be safe. They wanted to know who will suffer as a representative.

"In twenty-second place," Mayu began. "and barely escaping from become a rep," she added and pause, staring at the three who were standing. "Ann Jody," the teacher announced. The curly blonde hair girl immediately rushed to her teacher, grabbing her test – that she failed quite horribly – and seated herself at the only empty desk left, which happened to be right next to Miki. Ann will complain about it later. At the moment, Ann just wants to sigh in relief over not having to be a rep.

With Ann having been called up, only Leon and SeeU were left. They both knew half the result. They knew they, themselves would become representatives. Leon didn't care, but SeeU did. The girl could only look down, not wanting to get herself aware everyone's eyes were on her and Leon.

"I will have you two do chores immediately," Mayu announced to the two representatives.


	5. End of the First Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> been caught up in life, so I never got to update this here orz

"Ow!" The blonde male screamed once the hard bar of soap that was aimed at the boy made contact with his arm that shielded his head. On the other side of the bathroom, SeeU, the one who had thrown the soap, glared at Leon.

"You're the worst!"

"I said I was sorry!" Leon screamed back at her. The quiet, slightly timid girl was actually quite scary when angered, and Leon had learned that now. The boy had done nothing, at least intentionally, he did nothing wrong. The bathroom floor, however, was left slippery from the cleaning the two representatives had done. Without taking any caution, Leon felt it was okay to casually walk by on the floor, which had resulted in him falling backwards, landing his head right in between the girl's legs.

SeeU had already been in a foul mood. She had been stuck doing the chore of cleaning the bathrooms with a blonde haired boy who, according to her, complained a lot. The girl was clearly not enjoying having to clean the bathroom at all. Upon hearing a thud, SeeU was about to turn behind and see what her fellow representative was doing had she not spot specks of yellow on the floor.

Looking down, SeeU found him lying on the floor, looking up at her skirt. Naturally, upon witnessing it at first sight, her first reaction was throwing basically everything that had come to her sight. Leon barely had time to react as SeeU began to throw items at him. Crawling to the other side of the room, all Leon could hear were items hitting the walls and floors and cries of "You jerk!" or "Pervert!" from the girl.

After the bar of soap had aimed at his face, SeeU stormed out, heading to another bathroom to clean. Upon entry, SeeU began to sweep the floors, not wanting to deal with Leon for a couple of minutes. The fact that Leon could have possibly just tripped and fell – and indeed, he did lose his footing carelessly – never crossed her mind. All SeeU wanted was to finish her chores up quickly. She didn't want to miss her dance practice.

The female representative began to sweep, cleaning the bathroom floors up. For minutes, it had only been the sounds of sweeping ringing through the room. Those minutes were lasting quite a while, much too long for SeeU's liking. Growing tired of the same routine for however long that was, SeeU stopped and looked at the clock.

Almost 5:40PM.

Dance class starts at 6. SeeU groaned upon realizing this. There were a couple more bathrooms to go. There is no way SeeU can finish them and make it to her practice.

At that moment, Leon entered the bathroom. SeeU was not in the mood to deal with Leon anymore and ignored him. Then the boy snatched the mop away from her hands. Stunned, SeeU attempted to grab it back, but Leon pulled it towards him, refusing to give it to her.

"Go," he simply told her.

"Eh?" SeeU was wondering what Leon was saying.

"You have practice right?" SeeU nodded. "Then go."

"But then you will have to keep cleaning." For all the negatives Leon had done to SeeU, which was really just looking at her underwear by mistake, but again, SeeU wouldn't care that it was even an accident, the girl was not ready to give up her job for the sake of attending practice.

"You were complaining too much about chores," Leon reminded her and it was indeed true. SeeU had complained just as much as Leon had over their chores. "Go ahead, I will take care of the rest."

SeeU wasn't willing to give up her job. Leon began sweeping, constantly turning away from the girl who continued to attempt to snatch back her mop.

"Go ahead."

"No. I won't let you do it all by yourself."

Then Leon stood tall, holding the mop closely to his body. "Would you rather be stuck here, cleaning the dirty rooms for hours, or do you want to go to class and freely talk to your friends?"

SeeU stood there, allowing Leon's question to echo in her head. In all honestly, SeeU would rather not be there, cleaning the bathrooms in the building for long hours of the day. Instead, she rather be with her friends at dance practice. However, it meant leaving Leon to do all the chores. SeeU was not fond of that, but it seemed he really didn't care about having to do it all by himself. Sighing in defeat, SeeU turned around and began to walk away.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she yelled to the boy.

~~~

"Why did you get a zero on the test?" Ann questioned SeeU as they waited for their meal. After their dance practice, Ann had invited her three friends out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. She had told them it was to celebrate their first day of ninth grade, but SeeU had figured that Ann wanted to vent about their teacher. "I know you can do better."

"Eh… I was not expecting a test so I got really nervous." SeeU mildly lied to her friends, unwilling to admit her pencils broke.

"Our teacher is pretty mean," Chika commented absentmindedly.

"Her last name is Akuno. Haha, she really is evil after all," Prima snickered. Chika and Ann began to laugh with her while SeeU smiled and chuckled a bit over Prima's comment.

"Hey, why do you think Mayu went away from teaching for two years?" SeeU asked her friends after their laughter has died.

"When I was out earlier today, I heard from a former CIA member that Mayu traveled around the world for two years," Prima informed them.

"Rumors started at school that Mayu is really a cyborg," Chika shared her information with her friends. "Two years ago, Mayu got injured badly, so the two years were spent on turning her into a cyborg."

Ann forced her words in the conversation. "I had thought of complaining to our parents. Deciding everything through tests is mean."

"Please don't," SeeU began to beg her friend.

"Why not?" Ann looked at her friend.

"Please don't say anything," SeeU began. "I don't want my parents to find out I got a zero on the test." She clapped both her hands together and gave her friends a pleading look. "Please don't say anything."

~~~

"What do you think of Mayu?"

Gumi's questioned ringed in Kokone's ears. The two girls were walking to Kokone's house after having attended cram school. Both friends were walking in silence, so Gumi suddenly asking her Kokone a simple question out of the blue had caught the latter off guard.

"I think…" Kokone began, unsure of what to say. Honestly, she had agreed with Mayu over many things. The lazy should do all the work. Only the best can have privileges. To decide everything just by test grades, however, and then saying none of them were special either. Kokone didn't know yet if she really like her teacher or not.

"I find it funny that her last name means 'of evil,'" Gumi commented in a tone of silliness. Kokone, never realizing that, began to snicker, and her green haired friend laughed with her.

After their laughter deceased, Kokone asked her friend, "What do you think of Mayu?"

"Hey, I asked you that first," Gumi whined. "Can't you answer it before I do?"

"I don't have an answer for that yet," Kokone responded back.

"Eh, so you ask me instead? How rude," Gumi fake pouted to her friend. The look Gumi was giving to Kokone led the brunette to burst out laughing.

"You're so cute, Gumi, haha."

"So mean!"

Kokone continued laughing, and eventually, Gumi laughed along with her.

"I honestly don't have an answer for the question either," Gumi admitted.

"You too, eh?" Kokone sighed. "Then again, it has only been the first day of school. Maybe Mayu will be a bit nicer to us, or she will be stricter than before for the rest of the year."

"I wonder…" Gumi's words slipped out into the night.

~~~

"So how is she?"

SeeU had been getting herself ready for bed when her mother suddenly asked her a simple question. The blonde didn't understand what she meant at first.

"How is who?" SeeU asked.

"Your teacher, of course. Is she a good teacher?" Galaco began to nag her daughter with such a question. SeeU was not willing to tell her mother about the day, about SeeU's test grade and the fact she had been made a representative.

"She is great," SeeU simply told her mother. She didn't know if it was a lie or not. Was Mayu really great? She didn't know yet.

"Really, isn't that great?" Galaco smiled to her daughter. "If you work hard, you can get into a private high school like your sister," she beamed, then she began to walk away. "Good night, SeeU!"

"Good night…" SeeU closed her bedroom door. Walking to her bed, she collapsed on it. She had grown tired of her mother's nagging of having to attend a private school. What was so special about it anyway? True, it looks nicer, and SeeU would definitely have a better chance of getting into a good college.

But would she truly be happy?

Not wanting to think about it anymore, SeeU grabbed her bed sheets and covered herself in them.

~~~  
Meanwhile, Gumi was finishing on her homework in her room. Despite being the first day of school, Mayu had decided that the class should have assignments to do at home. After completing the work, Gumi went and put her work away in her bag.

The voices of her parents’ arguing continued to echo throughout the messy building. Gumi wonders how she had not grown tired of it. The arguments between her parents had occurred every day for years now. 'I wonder how they didn't get a divorce yet,' Gumi dryly thought. Collapsing on her bed, the greenette allowed her mind to wonder as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

'I wonder what kind of person Mayu really is.'


	6. If There Are Any Complaints...

The Monday of April 7th had come and went, and the Tuesday of April 8th had gone by as well. Class had remained the same so far. Everything was determined based by grades. That was how Mayu ran the class. After school, Leon and SeeU were forced into doing the harsh chores, as it was their job as the representatives of the class.

It was April 8th. On this day, no one in the class bothered to pack their lunch. It was one of the rare days when the school actually went and delivered edible food that was considered delicious by most students. Everyone in class 3-3 was fond of it, so they chose to wait for it rather than pack their own meal.

When lunch break had begun, SeeU and Leon had left to pick up the meals, bringing it to their classroom. Taking it inside, the two began to distribute the trays and utensils to everyone. After that, they went to drop off the rice, soup, and milk to the students. The only thing left to distribute was the curry. SeeU and Leon began to slightly bicker over who holds the pot and who serves it when Mayu called to their attention.

"Hurry up, what are you two doing?"

Snapping out of their bickering, SeeU went to grab the pot filled entirely with curry. Leon had went to grab onto it as well, except SeeU had lost her footing. Realizing she was falling, the girl attempted to save herself, accidentally releasing the pot from her hold in the process. Leon had attempted to grab the pot before it made contact with the ground but, unfortunately, he was a little too late. Before Leon could reach it, the pot made contact with the ground, the cap flying off and the curry spilling out, spreading on the floor.

The twenty two students who had been sitting patiently for their meal found themselves unable to accept what had happened. The special food they have been waiting for to have with their rice was gone. Some stood to get a better look, while other groan. Mostly everyone began to complain.

"I'm sorry!" SeeU apologized and bowed to her teacher. Mayu simply stared at her and Leon. He bent down and grabbed the now empty pot.

"I'll go and get more," Leon announced, but before he could leave, Mayu yelled at him.

"No!"

SeeU and Leon looked at their teacher in surprise. "Distribute the remaining curry," Mayu ordered them. "Serve to me first, then distribute the rest based on grades."

"But…" Leon began while looking inside the pot. "There is only about enough for five people."

"I don't care," Mayu simply told them.

"That means I won't get any…" Kyo muttered.

"I want curry…" Iroha whispered.

"I'm really hungry," Chika announced. "I want curry too."

"If you think food is unlimited," Mayu began, looking directly at her class. "Then you are mistaken. Japan is a country that relies on imports from other countries. What would happen if there was a crop failure in agricultural countries like the US? What if imports stopped coming? You will all starve to death." Mayu stared at each and every student seated in a desk. "We cannot afford to waste food. Japanese people waste more than 20% of imported food. It's nothing except 'I like this' or 'I hate this.' They should eat peacefully like we will."

Mayu turned to the two representatives. "If you want to hate someone or blame anyone for not getting any curry, go ahead and hate yourselves. Rather than hating the representatives who spilled the food, hate yourselves for not getting a better grade along with those two."

SeeU and Leon stood, processing Mayu's words. "What are you doing?" The teacher asked them. "The food break will be over soon, hurry up with the curry." Having no choice but to listen to Mayu, the two walked towards her with the pot filled with very little curry left. Reaching Mayu, they served her a spoonful of curry. Then they walked on towards Tonio, who sat at the front, and served him curry. After him, they walked towards the back, where Flower sat. Once they reached her, they gave her the spoon full of curry. The action was repeated to Miriam, and then to Piko.

"There is none left," Leon announced. All the curry was gone. Mayu nodded.

"With that," Mayu began, looking at the class. "Itadakimasu."

The students murmured "Itadakimasu" before they began to eat their food, most of them not having any curry with their rice. SeeU and Leon went to clean up the mess of curry that remained on the floor before they went to eat as well.

\---

The break continued on. Most students were outside as the weather was calm. Some were playing ball games, some were in clubs, and others were just hanging around. Ann walked through the school, for once ignoring anyone who attempted to flirt, amaze, or converse with her. The things that were going on in Mayu's room was more concerning than anything else. Prima, Chika, and SeeU followed Ann closely. When they had knocked on the principal's door, they were told that he was out. They tried to visit the vice-principal, except she was too busy to deal with any problems at the moment, so she had told the girls to find someone else to complain to. The four girls kept walking around until they found someone who they felt they can trust entirely.

"Hiyama-sensei!" They cried out. The male teacher was walking back up to his class when the girls had called out to him. Turning, he smiled at them.

"How have you girls been? Is there something wrong?" Kiyoteru asked them.

\---

Gumi was alone, walking around in the hallways when she had passed by the teachers' lounge. Growing bored each second that passed, the girl decided to peek through the door window that was covered. The cover was transparent, so Gumi was able to recognize the figures in the room. There was Hiyama-sensei, Sakine-sensei, Mayu…

Mayu was there. Interested, Gumi kept on looking as well as she tried to hear. Soft conversations were going on between teachers in other parts of the room. The girl was interested in what the teachers of her grade were discussing.

"I will try to help you in anyway I can," Meiko informed the two teachers. "With that…"

"May I say something?" Kiyoteru asked his co-worker.

"What is it?" Meiko questioned.

'Oh, just a meeting was going on…' Gumi had hoped that something else would go on. Mayu wasn't even saying anything. As Gumi had turned around and prepared to step away, she heard the next words.

"I heard something from a student in your class, Mayu." Hearing her teacher's name, Gumi quickly turned back around and looked through the door again.

"Do you not think that not giving everyone food is a bit mean?" Kiyoteru began to interrogate Mayu. The latter simply kept typing on her laptop, uncaring that the male was trying to talk to her.

"Kiyoteru," Meiko earned the male's attention. "Mayu has her own way of teaching," she informed him.

"I heard everything is decided through a weekly test," Kiyoteru continued, ignoring Meiko. "What is that about? This is a public school, so not everyone has the same abilities. Don't you think there will be a problem if you make the students do chores based on how low their grades are?"

"Kiyoteru, since it's Mayu-" Meiko began, but was interrupted.

"If you have that much free time," Mayu's words came out, the woman's eyes never leaving her laptop. "Shouldn't you be thinking about your own class?"

"What do you mean?" Kiyoteru questioned. Gumi continued to watch them even through the door. She was being nosy, but she didn't care. She wanted to see how this meeting will go with Mayu there.

"It appears that there are students in class 2 who ask to go to the restroom, and then they roam around the school. It also seems that things disappear. I heard that there is bullying going on as well."

"Really?" Kiyoteru questioned.

"Earlier today, I had to warn a student from your class about roaming around the building," Meiko added, slightly laughing.

"I'm sorry," Kiyoteru apologized.

"You are too concerned about pleasing the students. You look way too friendly to them," Mayu continued on. "You are not good at this job." Mayu looked at Kiyoteru, who was shocked with the woman's words. "Simply put, you just want to be called a good teacher."

The bell ranged, snapping Gumi out of her sudden shock. Realizing that Mayu is ready to leave the room, Gumi rushed away, not wanting anyone to see her. The scene continued to replay in her head.

'You just want to be called a good teacher.'

\---

When the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, the students packed up. Some went straight home, while others went to their after school clubs. After spending a few minutes conversing with Leon as he prepared to start his chores, Gumi left. Reaching the end of the stairs, the girl caught sight of her teacher with another student in her class.

"You don't want to go to a private school?" Mayu questioned the girl next to her. Looking down, the student nodded, confirming she didn't want to go at all. "I see," Mayu added. "If you change your mind, you can come and see me anytime," she informed the girl. "I think you can get into any private school with that intelligent brain of yours."

"Okay," the student answered. "Bye."

"Bye," Mayu bid farewell to her. Flower turned to leave the school when she caught sight of Gumi. The few seconds passed, and the two girls had stared at each other. Well, Flower was staring at Gumi before she finally left the building. The greenette stood there, taking in what she had witnessed.

Gumi was confused. Earlier and the past few days, she had seen a mean Mayu, but just now, the way Mayu had talked to Flower, she sounded a lot nicer. Perhaps, maybe, Mayu was not a cruel as she appeared to be. Maybe Mayu was just very strict as a teacher.

"Nakajima-san!" The voice of her teacher brought the girl back to reality. Realizing that the one who called her was her own teacher, Gumi simply stared at her.

"It seems that someone has ratted out on me to another teacher," Mayu began, slowly walking towards Gumi. "Do you know anything about it?" Someone told on Mayu? Well, Gumi had no idea about it, but it does explains why Hiyama-sensei knew about the way Mayu was running the class. It was worth a try, Gumi would say that to the one who dared tell on Mayu, except she didn't know who went and done it.

"No," Gumi answered her teacher truthfully. Mayu then continued to walk towards her, until they were face to face with each other.

"If you find out who it was, please deliver this message to them." Mayu's breath hit the girl's face. Gumi was stunned, unable to move or even respond.

"If you have any complains, come to me immediately."

Too stunned to move, Gumi simply nodded, implying that she understood. Mayu smiled and walked away, leaving behind the girl. Gumi was still in shock over Mayu's words.

Now the question on whether Mayu was really a cruel teacher or just a strict one came to play with her mind again.


	7. What Does He Think of Her?

"Please, Gumi," Kokone began to mutter in a frustrated manner. "Please do not involve me in this shenanigan of yours."

"But Kokone," the short haired girl began to give her best puppy eyes to her friend, and unfortunately for Kokone, they were heavily convincing. "Please join me tomorrow!"

"Why…" Kokone really wondered why her friend thought this was a good idea.

"I need assistance, my dear Kokone!"

"Don't ever call me with a 'dear' again."

"Please, Kokone! Pretty please?"

Kokone sighed in defeat. The first week of school had come to an end. On this Friday night, Kokone's parents had welcomed Gumi to stay over at their home for the night. Strangely enough, throughout this whole week, Gumi had found herself entirely interested in Mayu. Kokone was unable to figure out how Mayu was so interesting. Sure, Mayu ran class very strictly and in strange ways too. Despite it all, Kokone simply came to the conclusion that Mayu was just trying to get the class to do their best. Surely, that's why making the students with the worst grades doing all the chores sounded fine. Kokone didn't complain at all.

Some of her other classmates, on the other hand, had many complaints. Of course, this was why Gumi wanted to know everyone's opinion on Mayu the next day. Every single one of her classmates, and poor Kokone was to be dragged into this. The brunette had no interest in talking to her classmates, largely because she really didn't like most of them. Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha were brats. Kyo, Wil, and Yu were too into their sports and had no interest in anyone. Tonio was arrogant while his two friends, Bruno and Al, were idiots. Miriam was stuck up. Piko was naturally rude to anyone. Kokone didn't even want to deal with Ann and her friends, given that she had already hated them since seventh grade.

Despite all of that, Gumi wanted to talk to all of them, just to ask them for their opinion of Mayu.

"Gumi, why?" Kokone began to question her friend. Gumi looked at her with curiosity in her eyes. "Why do you care so much about Mayu?"

Sitting on the guest futon she will be sleeping on for the night, Gumi pondered. Exactly why did she care so much about Mayu? She didn't know how to answer it. It all happened in a blur. From the very moment she had caught sight of her teacher, Gumi grew curious of her. It wasn't until Wednesday – after witness Mayu's harsh words to Kiyoteru and then her kind behavior towards Flower – when she had wanted to know more about her teacher. Of course, trying to learn all about her sounded difficult, so instead, she decided go and see what her classmates had felt about their teacher.

Naturally, Gumi did not want to do it alone. Kokone, on the other hand, was not willing to volunteer, except with her friend's constant whining and desperation, she pretty much had no choice.

~~~

Saturday, April 12

9AM

In a vacant field, boys and girls played their favorite ball games. Some brought their basketball to shoot at the rusty hoops. Jump Ropes were brought over so some kids can jump. Balls of all kinds were there. The field was a hangout for many athletic children.

Three boys in that field were in their own game of soccer. A dark skinned boy had gone and kicked the ball to another boy. The shorter, blonde haired boy went and retrieved the ball. Taking it with him, he kicked it forward. Continuing to run with it, the boy kicks it lightly, making sure to keep it with him. Waiting on the other side of the field was a boy with brown hair. Intensely, he watches the ball. His goal is to retrieve it and kick it back to his tall friend. Until the ball comes to him, he has to stand and wait, watching it come forward every second. It kept getting closer and closer, until the boy reached a point where he can kick it to the brunette. Seeing it coming to him, the brown haired boy comes at it, ready to kick and claim it in his possession. The ball had been almost at him.

Until…

"Kyo!"

In a millisecond, Kyo's view had drastically changed from a field with a soccer ball towards him to a cheerful, feminine face that owned green hair, matching eyes, and glasses. Shocked with this sudden change, there was nothing Kyo could do except avoid the girl. Doing exactly that, Kyo ultimately tripped and made contact with the ground. Wincing from the pain, he closed his eyes, waiting for it to go away. In seconds, as the pain weakened, Kyo slowly opened his eyes, catching a cheerful looking girl looking down at him.

"Good morning, Kyo!"

"Good morning to you too, Gumi," Kyo muttered, slowly getting up. After standing, he finds his two friends, Yu and Wil walking towards them and Kokone standing nearby, watching them. Kokone had no interest in socializing with the boys so she kept her distance. Gumi stared down happily at Kyo, willing to ask them her desired question.

"Morning Gumi," Yu casually greeted the girl.

"Good morning." Wil answered nonchalantly to her.

"Kokone, good morning!" Kyo yelled at the brunette who stood a few feet away from them. Kokone had hoped that they wouldn't notice her, but now that they had called to her, she had no choice except to acknowledge them back. She simply waved at the boys, and all three of them waved back.

"So, Gumi, why are you here?" Yu curiously asked her.

"Is there something you need?" Kyo questioned her.

Wil remained silent. The three boys were very close friends, and they were all muscularly built. In addition, they had a strong fondness for sports, which had sparked their friendship since childhood. Those were probably the only similarities they have though.

Wil was the tallest of the friends and inherited dark skin, hair, and eyes. He was also the quietest of his friends, only talking when he felt was necessary. Known as the best swimmer in his swimming team, Wil loved to swim in water more than anything besides soccer. Outside of sports, Wil was fond of collecting cards and playing board games.

Yu was the smallest of his friends with blonde hair and cerulean eyes. Of the three boys, Yu was the chattiest, having a motor mouth on his own. He is fond of conversing with anyone as long as they were fun to talk to in his eyes. In addition, Yu was fond of soccer and baseball the most, often playing those sports as much as possible. Besides sports, Yu was fond of movies and the color pink. Despite being quite boyish, Yu was not afraid to admit his deep interest in the color pink.

Kyo was often described as being in between of his two friends. He was not the tallest, but he wasn't the shortest either. Not a chatterbox as well, but he wasn't silent either. With brown hair and matching eyes, Kyo was often considered to be average. He was fond of soccer and basketball, and he enjoyed being with his two friends the most. Besides sports, Kyo enjoyed taking afternoon walks and watching movies of all genres.

"What do you guys think of Mayu?" Gumi allowed her question to ring out to the boys. Silence then surrounded the four of them abruptly. Then the faces of the boys went from nothing to cringing. None of the three were fond of Mayu at all.

"Let's not bring her up again," Kyo suggested quietly.

"I hate her," Yu complained. Wil was silent as usual, but he nodded, confirming that he wasn't fond of Mayu as well. "Acting all high and mighty, making students with lowest grades do all the chores, giving special rights to the best kids, saying we are not special at all. What kind of teacher is she? Is she even allowed to do all of that!?"

"Technically, as long as she isn't abusing us, yeah," Gumi answered the boy.

"Are you serious!?" At this point, Yu was yelling at the green haired girl. Gumi didn't flinch at all from it. Simply standing there, she nodded, confirming her words. "There is no way Mayu is allowed to make us all do chores!"

"She's only making the two students with bad grades do them," Gumi corrected Yu.

"She's giving special rights to the students who do well!"

"I'm sure she is rewarding them just for reaching her expectations."

"She says we are not special!"

"Because we are not special," Gumi casually told Yu without thinking twice on her words. Kokone froze upon hearing her friend's words to the boy. Gumi was definitely curious, but she was also slightly insensitive. Of course, she had never realized that, which led Kokone to learn to not get affected by any harshness her friend gives off by accident. The boys, however, did not know that, especially Yu, who was ready to tackle her.

"What do you mean, we are not special!?"

At this point, Kokone ran up to her friend and grabbed her arm.

"So sorry for my friend's slight inconvenience to you three," Kokone apologized quickly. "Goodbye!" Dragging the pouting girl with her, the two leave the boys on the field.

"What is wrong with you?" Kokone hissed at Gumi once they reached the sidewalk. "Don't go and say things like that so casually!" In response, Kokone tightly pinched the bespectacled girl's cheeks.

"Ow!" Gumi shouted. "I'm sorry!"

~~~

10AM

The library was silent as it should be. Some people were standing, searching for books, while others were on computers doing their research or sitting in tables, reading their books or doing homework. Any conversation that was made was kept silent. Inside the library, large sums of books were kept in shelves. With so many books, there were many kinds of stories to read, and anyone can get sucked into the world of books.

This is why Flower loves the library. Every Saturday, she spends her mornings inside, reading and checking out any book she finds and enjoys. For years, Flower loved to escape the world through the power of books and flowers. She had been so indulge into her world, she has often never cared about anything else around her.

She didn't need to care. That is what she has told herself. Flower didn't need anyone to rely on. There is no need for friends and family with her. With her unusually intelligent brain, Flower is capable of going anywhere. She can go to any private school she wishes to go to. However, the girl had denied that. Flower felt that even if she did attended a private school, it wouldn't guarantee her the happiness she desires. Besides, why are people pressuring her to attend one? For a better future? More opportunities in life? Why couldn't they leave Flower alone? The girl believed that whatever happens in life, she will overcome it. There was no need for extra, unneeded assistance.

Staring at the bookshelves, the white haired girl was looking for a new book. She wanted something that can keep her attention. Passing through books she either already read or weren't interested, Flower finally found a book. Taking it out, she looked through it before confirming that she will enjoy it. Satisfied, Flower began to walk away, only to stop after a few steps. After a few seconds of standing there, Flower turned around.

"What do you need?" Flower asked to what was seemingly nothing. "I know you two are there. Come out."

Shocked that she even knew they were there, despite their attempts to stay hidden, Gumi and Kokone shyly poked their heads out.

"Good morning Flower," Gumi quietly yet cheerfully greeted the tall girl, and Kokone waved.

"Morning. What is it?" Flower bluntly asked the two girls, her violet orbs staring at the two girls. Gumi casually walked up to Flower while Kokone remained at her spot, her body hidden behind a bookshelf.

"What do you think of our teacher?" Gumi asked. Flower stood there, staring at her. Then she turned her head slightly.

"She is fine," she answered with no emotion in her voice. "I agree with most of what she has said." Flower then turned around and began to walk away.

"Do you spend all of your free time in this pretty library?" Gumi casually asked next. Kokone stared at Gumi in disbelief. 'Weren't we here just to ask Flower that one question!?'

"No," Flower answered, though keeping her back turned to Gumi. "In the afternoon, I go to a flower garden." The white haired girl dressed in her purple dress then turned to face the green haired girl dressed in orange. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I felt like it," Gumi answered back in a positive mood. Flower stared at Gumi in silence for a few seconds.

"You are weird," Flower whispered to herself before walking away, holding the book close to her chest.

"Do you bring your friends with you here?" Gumi asked next. Flower stopped her footing. Standing there in silence for around a minute, a thick atmosphere filled the surrounding area. Afterwards, Flower answered the green haired girl.

"I have no interest in having friends."

With that said, Flower continued walking, never bothered to hear whether Gumi had more questions for her.

~~~

11AM

"I still don't get why you asked Flower those questions so casually," Kokone muttered to her friend. "Why?"

"I was curious," Gumi bluntly answered. "I kind of want to be friends with her."

"Why?" Kokone asked. "Flower is very stoic and, as she had said, she has no interest in making friends." Gumi stayed silent as she kept her focus on something else.

"You shouldn't bother yourself to Flow-"

"Kokone! There's Tonio and Al and Bruno! Over there!" Gumi interrupted her friend, pointing a the three aforementioned males. "Let's go!" Gumi cheered, dragging her friend with her.

"Why…" Kokone muttered. This day was such a joy for her.

Meanwhile, up ahead were Tonio, Al, and Bruno casually walking down the sidewalk, conversing with each other. The three boys were close friends, despite all the quarreling they do, largely thanks to Tonio's intelligence contradicting the idiocy of Al and Bruno. Well, the latter two weren't really idiots. They just don't use their brain so much in addition to not being as smart as their friend.

Tonio was one of the most intelligent in class. Being the only student to score perfect along with Flower, he was given special privileges. Most of his intelligence had come from the time he had spent studying for everything schools are responsible for teaching. Raised by parents who want him to excel at his studies, Tonio spends his free time studying. Even he had gone to enroll in a private Junior High school until said school had shut down after years of scandals, resulting in him – and many others – to transfer to Bokaro Junior High School. Currently, his goal was to enroll to Yamaha High School, one of the most famous high schools in the city.

Al and Bruno were similar as well as they were the opposite of Tonio. Neither of the two boys were as smart as Tonio, and neither of them were as wealthy as Tonio either. Unlike the boy with dark hair and eyes, the two brunette males never went to a private school and had attended Bokaro High School since the seventh grade. Also, both boys don't naturally earn high grades like their friend.

However, both boys were different from each other. Al was more mature and quick to speak his mind, even if he came off as rude. Bruno was nicer and easygoing. Then there was Tonio, who would often appear to be arrogant due to how intelligent he is. In addition, Tonio had failed to understand how his two friends adore Ann. In their eyes, Ann was the perfect model with a kind attitude. In his eyes, Ann was an attention lusting girl with a small brain. It takes much more than outer appearance to make Tonio like a girl. Besides that, the boys were interested in very different things. Al adored monsters and horror stories. Bruno was fond of all kinds of music and desired to have a career in music. Tonio was expected to take over his family's business once he is an adult.

At this moment, the three friends were walking together down the street in the market area. Bruno had made a silly comment that resulted in Al yelling at him and Tonio simply face palmed in response. The three were so focused on each other. They had failed to notice the two girls that were running after them. More specifically, one girl is running towards them while dragging her friend with her.

They failed to notice until it was too late. In one minute, Tonio was casually walking, staring at his friends with looks of annoyance. The very next second, his face planted to the ground and heavy weight was on him.

"Gumi!" Kokone cried out. Right next to her on the ground was her energetic friend sitting on top of Tonio. Bruno and Al stared at the girls, trying to think on what had just happened.

"Hi Bruno and Al!" Gumi greeted the two boys that were standing. Bruno happily greeted her back while Al nonchalantly greeted her. "Hello Tonio," she then greeted the boy she was landing on. Gumi removed herself from him and picked his body up, helping him stand. Tonio stood up properly once again and gave the girl a death glare. Gumi smiled meekly and rubbed her head.

"What do you need?" Tonio asked nonchalantly. "I know you need me when you have to go and attack me like that."

"It's not an attack," Gumi pouted. "It's a Sweet Carrot Top Tackle." Kokone face palmed and Tonio gave her a strange look. 'What is wrong with this girl?'

"So, what is your opinion on our homeroom teacher?" Gumi asked with curiosity in her voice.

"She is good," Tonio responded.

"She is awful," Al answered.

"I really don't have an answer," Bruno chuckled embarrassingly. Tonio and Al stared at him with confusion.

"Wait, Al, awful? What?" Tonio questioned his friend.

"She is too arrogant and acts like everything she says is right," Al informed his friend.

"Everything she says is correct though," Tonio told him. Al looked at Tonio in disbelief.

"How can you think such things? Or are you saying that just because you got special privileges?"

"I truly believe that Mayu is correct on everything she is saying. Lazy people like you must be taught a lesson."

"What!?"

Suddenly, Al went and tackled Tonio, and the latter responded by repeating said action. Bruno looked at the two with a smile of embarrassment. He turned to the girls who were watching the cat fight with confusion and shock.

"This is normal, so don't worry so much about it."

The two girls can only chuckle lightly while the two boys wrestle each other.

~~~

Noon

In the shopping district, Kokone and Gumi find themselves wondering around.

"I am sure Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha are here!" Gumi beamed. "They often shop at this mall."

"Gumi, can we not see them?" Kokone asked, tiredness draining in her voice.

"Kokone, the goal for today is to see everyone in our class, so we must go and see them," Gumi reminded her friend. The brunette groaned. She didn't like the three girls at all. In her eyes, Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha were not any better than Ann. The three girls were viewed as arrogant and unafraid to talk back to anyone. In addition, they also had a strong sense of fashion and vanity, and they never hesitate to talk back at anyone who dared attempted to humiliate. They were also enemies of Ann, another girl Kokone despised. In the brunette's mind, if the girls didn't want to strangle each other's throats so much, they would be the greatest friends.

Gumi continued walking, digging her head in every store of the mall. Her goal was to find three girls, two with pink hair and one with black hair. Kokone was forced to follow, despite her brain screaming at her to run. Then the girls had found the shop they were looking for. When Gumi peaked into a clothing store, she caught a familiar girl with long, pink hair and glasses and dressed in a white shirt and yellow skirt, and her two friends by her side. One had pink hair tied in a ponytail and was dressed entirely in red with a Hello Kitty theme, and the other has dark hair tied in low tails showing at the front and was dressed in different shades of blue. Gumi quickly went in, going after the girls. Kokone remained behind, refusing to go communicate to them.

Luka, Iroha, and Tianyi were shopping for articles of clothing they found and admire. The three girls were fond of fashion and would go out shopping as much as possible. Today was one of those days for them when they go and do exactly that. The three girls have been good friends with each other since elementary school. Along with their love of fashion, they also were fond of many other things together, such as the movies they watch, the books the read, the food they eat, and favoring certain brands of accessories over others.

Luka was the pink haired girl with glasses and a rather mature body for being only fourteen years of age. She was viewed as very mature to everyone who has encountered her. One thing she disliked most was Ann. When the two had first met, Ann had attempted to humiliate Luka, which resulted in the pink hair girl talking back to the blonde, calling her dirty names in public, and Iroha and Tianyi were there to back her up. Since then, the three girls became enemies to the blonde and her friends. Being the daughter of a member of the PTA, she has achieved good grades in school. Despite being more mature than her two friends, she was the youngest of the three.

Tianyi was the oldest of the three girls. Coming from China, Tianyi has lived in Japan for as long as she remembers, but she goes to visit her native country as much as possible. While Luka was more mature and never hesitates to speak her mind, Tianyi often shuts her mouth and only opens it when she feels she needs to. Tianyi was quieter than her two friends as well. Like Luka, Tianyi achieves good grades due to her parents expecting their daughter to do well.

Iroha was the smallest of her friends. She was also the least mature and the least intelligent. Any word that had been used to describe Iroha was childish until someone dares to do something awful to her friends. In addition, it wasn't that Iroha was dumb. The girl just has a very hard time trying to get her knowledge to improve. No matter how many times she studies or prepares for a test, the girl was never able to achieve high grades like her two friends. Nonetheless, Luka and Tianyi often help her whenever they can. In fact, the three were planning to head to Iroha's house in the evening so they can help tutor her for their next test, which was on Monday.

The three continued to look for clothes they felt would match them. They were so content with all the clothing in the store, they failed to pay attention to anything. Pouting that her cries of hello to them were being ignored, Gumi walked back to a point where she felt was perfect. Then the girl dashed, jumping onto Iroha.

Much like with Tonio, Iroha had never suspected it. One second, she was happily admiring a new skirt that had been recently released. The next, her face was right next to the ground and heavy weight was on her. This action had snapped both Luka and Tianyi out as well, and they turned and realized that their friend had been tackled.

"What are you doing?" Luka shouted angrily at Gumi.

"Get off of her!" Tianyi screamed, pushing Gumi off and pulling Iroha back up. The short girl cleaned herself off and then turned to glare at the green haired girl. Gumi had stood up after Tianyi had rudely shoved her off of Iroha.

"Good morning!" Gumi cheerfully greeted the girls. Instead of greeting back, the three simply glared at the girl.

"What is wrong with you!?" Iroha nearly shouted. "What were you thinking, tackling me like that!?"

"Well, if you weren't obsessed with useless clothing, you three would have heard me greeting you," Gumi bluntly told them. The girls grew even more unhappy when Gumi had went and called the clothing useless.

"Don't you ever call the great clothes in here useless again!" Iroha screamed back. Gumi just shrugged.

"What do you think of Mayu?"

The three girls grew silent. None of the three knew what to say. In their eyes, on one hand, Mayu was the one who can go and call out on Ann, and no one can even bother her for it. Luka even smiled when she recalled that one day when Ann boldly asked Mayu to change her seat just because she didn't like Miki. Luka even remembered Mayu's exact words.

"What right do you have to ask for a seat change when you barely even escaped from being a representative?"

The look on Ann's face when she realized that Mayu will most likely never fall for her demands was worth keeping in Luka's memory.

On the other hand, the girls felt that Mayu was too strict for their liking. The students with the worst grades are forced to work. The students with the best scores get special privileges. Then to go on saying only two people in class were truly happy while everyone else will suffer and complain all their lives. No one was special, Mayu had told them.

Gumi was given the responses she needed. Luka, Iroha, and Tianyi had all agreed that they have mixed feelings on their teacher. In the end, they didn't know if they like Mayu or not.

After departing from the store, Gumi met up with Kokone who had been waiting for her.

"Gumi, let's go and eat something. I'm hungry." Kokone began to whine slightly.

"Same. I want to eat too. Let's go," Gumi told her friend, and the two girls walked away.


	8. What Does She Think of Her?

In the minutes that they had searched for a decent place to eat, Kokone and Gumi finally found a nice cafe for themselves to eat. Having entered the building that was filled with many guests, the girls were given a table after waiting for several minutes. In the time they sat there, the two engaged themselves in conversation that held no importance.

Gumi and Kokone were friends since childhood. They had first met in Kindergarten at very young ages, and since then, the two became close to each other, never wanting to separate. Of course, the two girls were basically opposites. Gumi was cheerful and energetic as well as she was blunt, honest, and curious to everything around her. Kokone, on the other hand, was more serious and sensitive, saying words that she felt were best to hear. Although Mayu was someone who was extremely honest, saying anything truthful and not caring if it hurt others, Kokone felt Mayu was right in a sense. In addition, Mayu was strict. The teachers Kokone had in the past two years were all too lenient for her liking as well as they never bothered to scold students who caused problems and pulled everyone with them.

This was why Kokone like Mayu from the first day. On the other hand, Gumi couldn't tell if she likes her teacher or not. In addition, she had become curious to how her classmates felt about Mayu, all twenty-two of them (twenty four if she included herself and Kokone). This was why Gumi went and chose to spend her Saturday asking all of them their thoughts, dragging Kokone with her.

When they had gotten their meal, the girls went and began to eat. In the passing minutes, the girls were continuing to consume their food when Gumi chose to take a moment to look around the café. Eyeing each table, the people she spotted were unfamiliar. Seeing she recognized no one, Gumi turned to head back to her food, when a group of people went and got themselves seated in a table. Eyes widening, Gumi recognized them.

"Kokone!" Gumi screamed, uncaring that she was in a building filled with people and half of them had turned their heads. The brunette had been eating peacefully until her friend, who happens to be sitting right next to her, screamed right into her ears. Feeling that she might have gone deaf, the girl now regretted choosing to sit right next to her friend instead of across from her.

"Gumi," she growled, her hand grabbing onto the girl's cheek tightly. Gumi began to yelp in pain.

"It's hurt!"

"Then don't scream next time! People nearby were giving us strange looks because you keep doing these things!" Kokone screamed back, now uncaring that she grabbed much more attention than Gumi had gotten, including the attention of those that Gumi recognized.

"Can you two shut up and give us peace!?" someone screamed at them. The two girls turned to the source of the scream. At the table Gumi had stared at, Piko was glaring right at them. Gakupo, Kaito, and Rin sat with him, sheepishly smiling and attempting to calm the white haired boy down. Gumi and Kokone stared for a few more seconds, and then Gumi stood and ran towards them.

Kokone stared at her green haired friend. As she was still hungry, she stayed at her seat and resumed eating her meal. As she ate, she watched her friend converse with their four classmates at their table. Piko was growing more agitated with Gumi near him while Gakupo was smiling brightly, further annoying the white haired boy. Kaito and Rin simply watched the three talk, not bothering to say a word. Kokone sighed as she continued to watch the five.

"Piko looks so cute when he is angry," were the first words that came out of Gumi's mouth when she had arrived to them. This only added to Piko's anger. The boy gave the girl a death glare. Instead of being intimidate or afraid, Gumi shrugged it off and went to converse with his friends.

"How is everyone on this fine Saturday?" Gumi cheerfully asked them.

"Fantastic," Gakupo responded kindly with a smile. "How are you, miss Gumi?" He politely asked. Gakupo was very friendly. With very long, violet hair tied up in a ponytail, Gakupo slightly resembled a samurai, which is what Gakupo often imitates. Due to coming from a family that lived a very traditional lifestyle of samurais, Gakupo was expected to succeed his family's heirloom.

"I'm great!" Gumi cheered. She turned to look at Piko, who sat across from Gakupo and kept an irritated look on his face. "Piko, you should smile for once. Looking angry all the time will make you look old by the end of the year," she told him her usual nonsense, taking her fingers to his face and moving his mouth upward, forcing a smile. Piko angrily pushed her hands away.

"I'm fine," he hissed. "Leave me alone, you weirdo."

Gakupo and Kaito chuckled over the scene while Rin smiled, never looking up to see her friends' faces.

"You see, Piko," Gumi began. "You're being grumpy again. You should loosen up." Then an idea sprouted in Gumi's mind. "How about you and I go out together wearing fancy dresses? I think you will fantastic in a dress."

"No," Piko sighed angrily. He really didn't have any more words of insults to throw at Gumi anymore. "I am not wearing a dress. Don't ever suggest that again." Unlike his violet haired friend, Piko was a lot less joyful. In fact, he was often bitter and serious. While Gakupo was more traditional, Piko was quite modern, growing heavily interested in technology. He was capable of building his own laptops and other mechanics.

"Ooh, Rin, your drawing is really cute!" Gumi yelled, forgetting that she was even talking to Piko when she spotted Rin's drawing. Piko felt himself going deaf because of the girl's yelling right next to him.

"Oh," Rin was snapped out of her concentration by Gumi's compliment. "Thank you," she smiled before going back to her drawing. Rin had been drawing two girls together, holding hands and having smiles on their faces. While her friends were quite chatterboxes, Rin was quiet and reserved, only speaking when she has too. The only hobby she has and fully commits to is drawing.

"Oh yeah," Gumi had remembered what her mission for the day was. "What do you all think of Mayu?"

The four sat there, pondering over Gumi's question. "Well," Gakupo began.

"Mayu is great," Piko beat Gakupo to answering. "She's honest, strict, and straight to the point."

"Don't you think she is being too harsh on Ann though?" Kaito questioned.

"Nope," Piko answered his blue haired friend. "Mayu is giving Ann exactly what she asked for."

"What do you mean?" Kaito was beginning to sound angry. "Ann has done nothing wrong."

"In your eyes, Ann has done nothing wrong," Piko bluntly told him. "Are you not aware of the fact that Ann practically bought the title of class president last year?"

"She did not," Kaito grew angrier at Piko's words. "Ann wouldn't do such a thing."

"Kaito, you are too blinded by the kindness she is giving you. One day, you should take a step away from her and realize how much of a bitch she is."

Then Kaito had snapped and began to yell at the white haired boy. Piko didn't bother to hold himself back as he began to throw swears at him. The two began to bicker as well as they grabbed each others' throats. Rin sighed, knowing that, eventually, they will be evicted from the café in a few minutes. Gumi stared at the two, unsure of what to do for once. Before she can do anything, Gakupo stood and walked away, taking her back to her table.

Kokone had witness the entire event and wondered what on earth happened that resulted in Kaito and Piko strangling each other. Soon, her eyes went towards Gakupo walking towards her, his hand holding on to Gumi's wrist. Once he had reached Kokone, he sighed and turned to Gumi.

"I'm sorry that you have to see that," he began. 'The very moment Ann pops up in a conversation, the two eventually bicker." Kokone listened while Gumi nodded.

"It's okay," she told him. "With Ann, you either love her or hate her." Gumi then sighed. "I honestly don't like her."

"That is fine. I'm okay with her, but I don't ever say anything about it," Gakupo informed her. "Kaito really cares for her as they are close friends, after all. Piko, however, despises her. Rin is neutral on the entire subject," he sighed. Gumi nodded. "I'm sorry that you couldn't get everyone's answer to your question thanks to their bickering," he apologized, turning his head to his friends. The manager had arrived at this point with guards and the two boys were removed while, kindly enough, Rin was allowed to stay at the café.

Gakupo turned back to Gumi. "I'll tell you right now. Piko adores Mayu while Kaito doesn't enjoy her too much. Rin and I are really neutral on Mayu. Is that a fine answer?"

"Yeah, that is a perfectly fine answer," Gumi responded cheerfully.

"Good," he sighed. "I have to return to Rin now." The two bid farewell to each other, and Gakupo left to return to his table where Rin was at.

"I guess we can leave now, Gumi." Kokone had finished her meal while Gumi was over at the other table.

"Alright," Gumi responded, turning to Kokone. "Let's go, Kokone." The two girls stood up, went to a worker and paid their bill. As they left the café, they found Kaito and Piko still strangling and attacking each other. Not wanting to deal with them, the two girls left them to deal with their issue.

~~~  
2PM

The ocean shined brightly as the rays of the suns hit it and the sky reflected in the water. Staring at the water, Oliver smiled. The beach had been his favorite place for most of his life. It was a place where he can relax and hear the ocean while watching the endless body of water.

When Gumi had spotted Oliver sitting on the sand as she and Kokone were walking by, the girl quickly dashed to him, leaving behind her own friend. Not wanting to go after her again, Kokone stood there and decided to wait patiently for Gumi. The latter continued to run to Oliver. She had planned to tackle him just like how she had tackled Tonio and Iroha earlier that day.

Except, as she got closer, she tripped over her footing. In response, she had fallen, her face hitting the sand harshly. Hearing the sounds of a crash, Oliver turned his head and was surprised to see green hair and a body lying on the sand.

"Gumi?" he questioned. In response, muffles were heard from the girl. Sighing with a small smile on his face, Oliver stood up and walked towards her. Extending a hand out, Oliver grabbed her hand, pulling her up.

"Thanks," Gumi responded, spitting sand out of her mouth. "So how are you?" She smiled while asking him.

"I'm fine," Oliver responded, a small smile remaining on his face. "Is there anything you need?"

"Yeah," Gumi answered. "I was wondering, what do you think of our teacher?"

"Mayu?" Oliver questioned, and Gumi nodded in responses. "I think she is fine. She's strict, but straight to the point."

"Alright," Gumi cheered, then looked towards the sea. "Ah, it looks beautiful," she smiled.

"Yeah, it is," he told her. "I love the sea like this. That's why I'm here often," he quietly told her. "I do want to sail across the seas when I am an adult, after all." There was not much to say about Oliver. He was simply a quiet boy who enjoyed the beach. Even while having no friends, he felt complete bliss with his life, even after going through an illness that resulted in him losing one of his eyes.

After watching the sea for several more minutes, Gumi departed from the timid boy, heading back to Kokone. The two girls began to walk on, engaging in their own conversation.

~~~  
3:30PM

The streets in town continued to be crowded with more people. The shops were becoming packed. Gumi and Kokone struggled to go through the people that walk in the streets. It had become enough of a hassle for the two. No longer wanting to fight through the crowd, the two decide to rest at a nearby shop. The closest shop to them was a sushi store and thankfully, it was not entirely filled with many civilians. The two girls entered, catching their breath from the streets.

"Saturday afternoons are the worst time to be out in this area," Kokone dully commented, regaining her health. Gumi nodded in agreement.

"How may I help you?" A voice called out to them. Before the girls could even turn and respond to tell the person that they were just resting, the stranger has beaten them to talking. "Oh, you two are in my class, right?" Recognizing the voice, Gumi quickly turned to see the one who is talking to her and Kokone.

"What are you doing here, Miriam?" Gumi questioned, her eyes widening in shock. She didn't expect to find a classmate of hers here of all places.

Miriam laughed lightly. "What am I doing here? This is my family's store," she informed her.

"Really?" Kokone asked in shock. Miriam nodded with a smile on her face.

"Must be hard to believe for you. Who would expect a foreign family to own a sushi store? My father and mother really like sushi so they had opened this store here in town so they can sell their specially made sushi. Unlike them, I don't like sushi. Thankfully, my older brother intends on running the family business, so all I can do is focus on my studies and go far in life." Miriam was very studious. In her world, studying is wonderful. This is why Miriam scored very high on her test.

"Miriam, you like Mayu, right?" Gumi went on to ask the platinum blonde girl.

"Of course I do," Miriam answered. "Mayu is perfect. I admire everything she has done so far," she beamed. Kokone felt that question shouldn't even be asked. It had already been blatantly obvious that Miriam admires Mayu. Her smiling at her, her constant compliments, the way she even looks at her teacher, it said it all. It had reached points where Kokone questioned if Miriam was starting to go obsessive with their teacher.

"While you are here," Miriam continued. "I'll buy you both sushi. My treat for you two just for the fun of it."

"Really?" Gumi beamed and cheered. "Thank you!" Kokone nodded in thanks.

~~~

4:30PM

"So the only people left to meet," Kokone began.

"All we have to see is Leon, Miki, and Ann with her friends," Gumi answered. Kokone groaned upon hearing Ann's name.

"Do we have to see her?"

"Well," Gumi began. "I did say we have to get everyone's opinion."

"Why?" Kokone began to whine. Usually, she is often mature, but when it comes to Ann, there was no way she can keep her maturity. "Please, Gumi, please? Can we not see Ann?"

Before she even responded, Gumi spotted wavy blonde hair in a seat near a restaurant, alone. "Kokone," Gumi whispered slyly. "Maybe we don't need to talk to Ann directly." The brunette stared at her friend in confusion. Gumi pointed to the girl of blond hair so Kokone can see. When she turned to where the green haired girl was pointing at, Kokone finally understood.

"If it's just SeeU, then I don't mind," Kokone commented. Of all of Ann's friends, SeeU was the only one Gumi and Kokone tolerated. This was only because out of the four, SeeU was the least malicious. In fact, SeeU showed no signs of being like her friends at all. While Ann, Prima, and Chika were haughty and loved to show off their wealth and beauty, SeeU was rather timid and never liked to brag about her wealthy status. She rather hide away and stay very close to those she like.

As Gumi and Kokone came up to her without realizing it, SeeU was studying for the upcoming test that was to be given on Monday. SeeU was determined to get out of becoming a representative. The week of being one had not been easy or fun to her as she had to constantly clean the classroom and the bathrooms before and after school. Thankfully, Leon's kindness and cheerfulness made cleaning slightly more enjoyable for her.

'Leon.' SeeU recalled Leon's words the previous day as they were cleaning. Before she could even recite them, the girl was suddenly glomped from behind.

"I see you!" Gumi cheered.

"Gumi, enough with glomping people for one day," Kokone scolded her. Gumi responded by spitting her tongue out at the brunette.

"You scared me," SeeU pouted. Not once did she ever get glomped from behind before, especially by someone she was not too familiar with. Upon seeing the two girls' faces, SeeU recognized them. They were the two girls she had stared at on the first day of school.

"You see, Gumi," Kokone began. "This is why you don't glomp people, especially from behind."

"Oh shush, my dearest sweetheart," Gumi pouted. Kokone stared at her, wondering if she even heard her friend correctly.

"So, SeeU," Gumi began. "Is that really your name? It's cute," she complimented.

SeeU blushed slightly. "Well, it's my nickname. My parents thought it would be cute."

"And you are naturally really cute, so it fits," Gumi began to snuggle SeeU, making the latter feel slightly uncomfortable and entirely unsure on what to do. Before she can even continue, Kokone violently ripped Gumi off by her hair.

"This is why people think you are creepy," she scolded the greenette as she screamed.

"Stop it! It hurts!"

"Then stop being weird!" Kokone finally released her grip on her friend's short hair. Gumi glared at her friends while pouting, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Meanie," Gumi commented under her breath. After her moment of glaring, she turned to SeeU. "Anyway, would you mind to answer us to what you and your three friends think of Mayu?"

"Mayu?" SeeU questioned. Gumi nodded. "Well, I know Ann, Prima, and Chika don't like Mayu at all. Every day at dance practice, they go and complain about her and mock her. I, however, don't really have much to think about Mayu." SeeU paused and then continued. "I wish she wasn't so strict though. I didn't expect to be a representative because my pencils broke."

"Wait," Kokone interrupted. "You became a rep because your pencils broke?" SeeU nodded. Then Kokone recalled that day. Gumi had asked Mayu about what would happen if someone had no pencil to use.

"Gumi, is that why you asked Mayu that day about having no pencils? You saw that SeeU had none?" Kokone turned to her friend and asked.

"That's right," Gumi answered. "I saw that SeeU had none and tried to give one of mine to her without Mayu noticing."

"Then you fell off your chair," Kokone sighed, recalling that event. One minute, she was focused entirely on the test, and the next thing she knew, her friend was on the floor.

"It's really strange though,"SeeU began. "Before I left to the assembly, I double checked my pencils, and they were all sharpened. Even my mechanical pencils had tons of lead inside." Hearing those words, Kokone and Gumi stared at SeeU in shock.

"Before the assembly, your pencils were fine?" Kokone questioned. SeeU nodded.

"I figured that they had broken when Kyo accidentally knocked them down, but I doubt that such an impact like that would break every single one of them. Even my mechanical pencils were out of led." She sighed. Gumi and Kokone kept their gaze on the blonde girl. This was news to them. Someone had went and broke SeeU's pencils during the time they had the assembly. That was the only conclusion they had.

Bidding farewell to the girl, they walked away.

"Let's go to Leon's house now," Gumi told her friend. Kokone nodded. It had been a long while since they last went to Leon's home.


	9. In the Evening

In her shopping trip at the convenience store, she simply glanced at all the food and other items on sale. Today was her day to go out shopping for ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Keeping a bored, dull, uninterested face, Miki continued to grab the ingredients her mother had asked her to buy. When she discovers that she has gotten everything from the list her father had written for her, in case she was to forget something, the red haired girl went straight to the cash register. Once she goes to pay, school instantly comes to her mind.

Miki sighed. School was never great for her. Every day, she was either tormented by her classmates or she was shunned. This year was no different. Students who weren’t in her class, and even underclassmen, went out of their way just to do small minor attacks on her. Monday, she had her home shoes filled with tacks. Miki had no knowledge of it, so her foot was bandaged after she had placed it in. Tuesday, her books were stolen. The poor girl had to face Mayu’s wrath that day, being sent out in the hallway and never allowed back in the room. A few students, especially Ann, had snickered over her misery. Thank god nothing had happened on Wednesday or Thursday. It was better to be shunned and ignored than to be recognized and inflicted pain on. On Friday, however, as Miki was walking to her home, a few students ran towards her and roughly pushed her to the ground. As she had struggled to stand, one went and stepped right on her.

All of that was only the least of her struggles. The seventh and eighth grade was blatant hell for Miki. She knows very well that the ninth grade will not be any better, especially when Ann, the one person who will do anything to make her life a living hell thanks to that day in the past, is in the same class. If there was one thing Miki was thankful, though, it was the fact that her classmates, excluding Ann and her friends, didn’t seem to care that Miki was there. Of course, Prima, Chika, SeeU, and Kaito despised her deeply, but everyone else didn’t seem to think twice about the small redhead in their classroom.

After paying for all she needed, Miki thanked the register worker and departed to the outdoors. The moment, she stepped outside, she turned to her left, and all she could do was stare at two people she recognized in her classroom. Gumi and Kokone were heading towards Miki’s direction. The latter had wondered who the two were. Are they people who want to torment Miki, or do they want nothing to do with her? She really hoped the girls were the latter. For once, Miki wants a break from cruel snickering and pranks.

Miki turned right and chose that it was best not to be seen by Gumi or Kokone. In case they really did want to harm her, Miki should not be seen so they can’t hurt her. As she kept walking forward, she continued to look back, hoping they did not notice her, or if they did, at least they don’t care enough to communicate to her. Turning forward again, Miki kept walking on, hoping to not be noticed.

If only luck could be on her side…

“Miki!”

‘Shit…’ Miki silently cursed in her mind. They saw her, and they want to talk to her now. They might hurt her like the others do. Not wanting any pain for the day, Miki instantly ran off. She needed to outrun them, even if she was never good at anything athletic besides dance.

When Gumi had noticed a cute girl in her class, she went out of her way to scream to her. Besides Leon, Miki was the only one left who she needed to ask for her opinion of Mayu. Once Gumi noticed that Miki began to ran, she instantly ran off to chase her, completely forgetting about Kokone.

“Hey, Gumi! What the hell!?” Kokone screamed to her friend, who had quickly run off. The greenette did not hear her, and continued running, abandoning Kokone. She sighed.

“Guess I’ll head to Leo-”

Before Kokone could even finish talking to herself, her phone had vibrated, signalling that someone sent a text to her. Picking up her phone, Kokone went to her messages to see who texted her and what they need.

Dinner will be ready shortly. Come home. Gumi can come too if she wants. She is always welcome here.  
\- Mom

Staring at the message, Kokone sighed to herself. ‘Looks like I can’t go to Leon’s house then.’ Kokone was about to place her phone back to her pocket, only to realize that she needed to alert Gumi that she won’t be there. The cheerful, athletic girl was already far gone, attempting to catch a classmate. Kokone had thought that it was best for Gumi to figure out on her own that Kokone won’t come but went against that thought. The last time she chose to not tell Gumi that she couldn’t make it to a festival, instead of getting the hint that Kokone couldn’t make it, Gumi continued to wait for her the entire night.

‘She’s cheerful, athletic, bold, and honest, but she is also stupid and doesn’t ever realize that she annoys people too.’ Kokone knew she will have to tell Gumi. Flipping her phone open again, she went to send her friend a message.

Going back home. Dinner is ready. Won’t go to Leon’s house. You can either head back home with me or go to Leon’s place without me. If you choose to go see Leon, tell him and his sister that I said hi. See you later.  
\- Kokone

After pressing the “send” button, Kokone placed her phone back in her pocket and went on to head home. When Kokone went to turn around, she quickly spotted wavy cream hair decorated with a red ribbon. This similar hair was inherited by a very familiar female dressed in a lolita fashion and with a small, slender body.

Kokone did not expect to see Mayu in town at all. Eyes widening and not wanting to confront her teacher, Kokone quickly turned back around and walked on, finding another route home. While she did respect her teacher and her way of running the class, even agreeing with most of the things she has said, Mayu has left a rather eery feeling on Kokone. The student was actually slightly terrified of her teacher, and to see her in public was something she was not enjoying.

When Mayu simply watch Kokone walk away in a jogging pace, she just shrugged it off. She was going to see her on Monday anyway, so no need to be excited over seeing a student out on the weekend.

~~~

Her legs were beginning to burn. Breathing became difficult. She was tired of running for only forty seconds. When she looked back, her prey was running at an increasingly fast pace. Miki kept on going. Perhaps she would run faster if she used her arms, but it’s really difficult to use them when she’s clinging on to the grocery bags being held in her chest. As there was nothing else she could do, she continued to run, hoping Gumi would lose interest in chasing her.

In another minute, Miki had to stop. That was too much running. She was exhausted. When she turned around, she saw Gumi coming closer and closer. Realizing she will not be able to outrun her, Miki sighed in defeat.

‘Time for more joy and misery.’

When Gumi had finally caught up to Miki, the first thing she had done was glomp her into a tight hug as she regain her health.

“Jeez, that was a lot of running,” she commented. “Why did you run away anyway? Do I look scary to you?” Gumi questioned. Miki didn’t know what to say. Was she not going to hurt her? Miki had assumed that since everyone else who wanted to talk to her clearly brought some sort of pain with them.

Gumi turned around, then found herself looking around. “Kokone?” She spun her body around, hoping to see a girl with brown hair and dressed in a white shirt and pink skirt. “Where is Kokone? I thought she was following me.”

Miki could only stand there and have a similar thought. What happened to the girl who was with Gumi? Right when that question came to Miki’s mind, Gumi felt her phone ringing out a simple melody. Someone has sent her a text message. Taking her phone out, Gumi went to read it while Miki stood, staring at her. After several seconds, Gumi sighed.

“Well, I guess I’m going to Leon’s house by myself,” she muttered. Then suddenly, before Miki could even react, Gumi had an idea.

“Miki, come with me!”

“Eh?” The red head was confused.

“Let’s go to Leon’s house together!”

“What? Wait! I have groceries. I need to get home.”

“Okay, let’s drop them off and then go to Leon’s house!” Refusing to even listen to the smaller girl’s protests, Gumi grabbed Miki’s wrists and began to walk. “Where do you live, Miki? I’m taking you to your home and then we shall go visit Leon.”

Miki was left astounded by Gumi’s bold actions.

~~~

What were her parents even thinking? When the two girls had arrived to Miki’s home, her parents had quickly assumed that Gumi was a friend, when in fact, they were just classmates. Not only that, Gumi even straightforwardly told Miki’s parents that she was taking them to a friend’s house. Happy that their daughter was finally spending time with people in her school, they happily allowed her to go, not even giving her a choice.

Now poor Miki was forced to go with this cheerful, energetic girl of green hair and eyes as they walk to this boy’s home. Miki didn’t even know what to do or say. Her wrist was tightly on hold by Gumi’s hand as she led her to their destination. She had also kept silent while Gumi chattered on, speaking many nonsense.

“Your red hair is really cute, especially that ahoge you have sticking up. Is that naturally?”  
“I believe carrots will rule the world one day.”  
“When I was playing hide and seek with Kokone and Leon back in elementary school, I tried to go to Narnia by hiding in the closet.”  
“Did you know Leon has the cutest little sister on the earth? Her name is Rana, and she is so adorable!”  
“Are you an only child? I’m an only child too, and so is Kokone!”

As Gumi continued with her senseless chatter, Miki listened intently. As they walked on and Gumi talked on, Miki began to felt a lot less worried and more safer as each minute passes. Somehow, Gumi’s constant chattering has left Miki feeling that maybe Gumi did not actually want to hurt her after all. Then again, she might.

“Hey,” Miki whispered, although loud enough so Gumi can hear. “Are you not going to hurt me?” After those words came out of Miki’s mouth, Gumi had stopped walking. At that second, she had finally remembered. ‘People bully Miki at school.’ Now it all made sense to why Miki had ran off. She most likely believed Gumi would do the same thing the ignorant people at school do. Turning around, Gumi faced the smaller, red haired girl and placed her hands on her shoulders. Once she looked into the taller girl’s eyes, Miki felt the aura within them turned serious.

“Miki,” Gumi began, her voice sounding serious. “I do not like Ann.” When those words entered her ears, Miki stared at Gumi in disbelief. Back in the first year of middle school, Ann was the sole reason why Miki was getting picked on. She simply did not like the model. To the students, disliking a teen model who is well loved is a crime. Now, to see that she was not the only who showed no interest in Ann, Miki found herself in a feeling of small bliss. “I will not hurt anyone just because they don’t like someone, especially if it involves someone I despise.” With that, Gumi pulled Miki into her arms. Surprised, all Miki could do was accept the hug. It was gentle, but filled with a kind, strong feeling.  
In seconds, Gumi stepped back.

“Now, let’s go to Leon’s house!” Pulling on Miki’s wrist, Gumi lead the way once again. For the first time in a long while, a small smile crawled in to Miki’s face.

~~~

“Rana, you are so cute!” Gumi continued to cuddle a young girl, nine years of age. The girl, Rana, could only smile in response.

“Your grip is strong, Gumi-nee,” Rana complained, although the emotion in her voice showed that she enjoyed the attention she was getting from the girl. It had been quite a while since she last visited, so when Rana opened the door to see Gumi standing there, she didn’t even have enough time to show excitement. Gumi instantly glomped the child upon seeing her.

Now, in the dinner table at Leon’s home, Gumi kept Rana on her lap while Miki sat next to her, watching them. Yukari, Leon’s aunt and guardian, was almost done cooking.

“It has been a long while since you last came here, Gumi,” Yukari commented cheerfully. “And you brought a cute girl with you too.” Miki couldn’t help but blush slightly from the compliment.

“Pretty Nee-chan, what is your name?” Rana innocently asked Miki. Before she could open her mouth, Gumi quickly answered for her.

“That’s Miki!” Gumi cheered. “Originally, I wanted to come here with Kokone, but Kokone had to go back home, so I took Miki wth me!”

‘Against my own will,’ Miki finished in her mind.

“So where is Leon at?” Gumi asked. Her answer was given immediately when the sound of footsteps entering the kitchen grew louder. Turning to the kitchen entrance, Gumi spotted Leon, who simply looked at Gumi.

“I did not expect to see you here,” Leon smiled. He then caught Miki with Gumi. “Oh, Miki is here too? Welcome to my humble abode,” he welcomed her. Miki nodded in response. Leon took a seat right next to Miki, and Yukari had finished cooking for her family and their guests. Setting the food down, they all sat down to eat.

“Ikadakimasu!”

Then the five engulfed themselves in to the delicious meal. In the meantime, they had also begun to chatter. Gumi found herself at complete happiness. It felt like the past all over again when she and Kokone would visit Leon and his family. The only difference was Kokone was absent, but seeing Miki having a good time made Gumi smile. Miki was having a fun time too. This had been the first time in a long while since she had last been to someone’s house and happily ate with them.

“Oh, I forgot,” Gumi suddenly spoke out. “Miki, Leon, what do you both think of Mayu?”

“Scary,” they simultaneously answered, then looked at each other. Rana laughed at them while Yukari smiled.

“Leon has told me about this Mayu person, the homeroom teacher. She’s quite a character, having people with the lowest grades do chores, special privileges are given to the ones with the highest scores, and no restroom breaks either.” Yukari had commented. “Leon told me he intends to be the rep for the entire year.”

Hearing those words, Gumi nearly choked on her food. Did she hear that right? Gumi looked at Leon, hoping he would explain. He stared back and understood the message she was giving him.

“No one in class wants to do chores,” he began “So I made the decision of automatically making myself a rep so one less person can suffer from doing so.” Miki was just as surprised as Gumi was. They didn’t think that there would be such a person in their class who would actually commit to being a rep.

“So you actually failed the test on purpose?” Gumi questioned. Leon nodded.

“Are you going to fail the next test too?” Next was Miki’s question.

“No,” he began. “I’m actually going to skip the test.” Gumi’s and Miki’s eyes widen.

“Won’t that make Mayu mad?” Miki asked. Leon shrugged. 

“Regardless of whether she gets mad or not, I’m sure she will still make me a rep.” Gumi and Miki simply kept their gaze on the boy in disbelief. “I hope the other person who has to be a rep actually did the worst on their test. Someone broke SeeU’s pencils when we were at the gym.”

“Eh, you knew too!?” Gumi asked in shock. Miki looked back at Gumi.

“Someone broke SeeU’s pencils?” Miki questioned quietly. As much as she didn’t like the blonde girl, largely due to her being friends with her worst enemy, Miki couldn’t help but feel pity for her. Gumi nodded.

“SeeU told me as we were cleaning earlier this week that her pencils were sharpened and there was led in her mechanical pencils before she left to the gym,” Leon informed the girls.

“Some people are just awful these days,” Yukari commented. “To go and break someone’s pencils, that poor girl…”

“Gumi,” Rana’s voice ringed out. “Play with me, Gumi.”

The green haired girl looked at the young child. “Sure!” she beamed.

~~~

After hours of fun in Leon’s home, Miki and Gumi finally had to depart. The departure was slightly bittersweet as Rana did not want the two girls to go. They had played their games and laughed merrily together.

“You will visit soon, right?” Rana asked the two older girls. After they both nodded, a smile grew in the girl’s face.

Gumi and Miki waved and bid farewell to Leon, Rana, and Yukari. The two girls departed from the house and began to head home.

“That was nice…” Miki honestly admitted.

“Leon’s house is the best~” Gumi beamed. The two girls kept walking. Miki began to wonder. Yukari was Leon’s aunt. There was no sign of other adults living in the house.  
“You’re thinking ‘where are Leon’s parents,’ aren’t you?” Miki looked at the green haired girl in shock. ‘How on earth did she figure that out!?’ “Simply put,” Gumi began. “Leon’s parents abandoned him and his sister.”

Miki simply stared at Gumi with a shock expression. Then she looked down to the ground. “That’s pretty sad,” Miki whispered.

“Yeah,” Gumi responded while staring at the starry sky. “But Yukari is there for them, so it’s okay. Yukari really loves them after all. Even once, I asked her what would happen if she was to have her own child. She told me she can never bear her own children, so given the responsibility to raise her nephew and niece felt like God has given her a wonderful gift.”

“That’s good,” Miki smiled. “Honestly, I don’t know what I would do if my parents abandoned me,” she whispered to herself, although Gumi had heard her. Suddenly, the bespectacled girl found herself clenching her right fist. The feeling of melancholy was beginning to engulf the girl. Miki had nice parents. Gumi could easily tell just by looking at them. How come her parents had to be nearly as bad as Leon’s parents? Gumi changed her gaze to the right, looking down at the land below her in hopes of getting rid of her upset feelings. Right below was a graveyard filled with many tombstones and small lights. As they continued to walk on, Gumi spotted a person that felt so familiar to her. Stopping, Gumi leaned down and winced at the figure. Miki stared at her and then walked to where Gumi was at, wanting to see what she was staring at. Before she could even look down, Gumi stood tall immediately and grabbed Miki’s wrist again.

“Let’s go!” She screamed and dashed off quickly, taking Miki with her.

If her eyes didn’t deceive her, she thought she saw her there in the graveyard.


	10. She Was There

“But I saw her here just five minutes ago!” Gumi complained loudly. Miki winced at the girl’s constant moping. Thankfully, they were the only ones in the graveyard. Miki continued to look at Gumi weirdly.

“Exactly who was here?” Miki asked quietly. Gumi quickly turned around to face Miki.

“Mayu was here! I want to know why she was here!” With that, Gumi turned back around and began to wonder aimlessly, hoping to find her teacher. Miki, on the other hand, froze at her spot. ‘Mayu was here!?’ Thank god she was no longer present here. Miki had absolutely no intention of meeting her teacher outside of school, especially when the thought of her being in a graveyard of all places sounded so unusually interesting for some reason. Turning her head slightly, Miki went to stare at the tombstone next her.

On the tomb was a picture of a little girl who wore a huge smile on her face. With dark hair tied in pigtails and smiling so cheerfully, she looked so adorable. When Miki looked up from the picture to the words engraved in the tomb, she read what was written.

Kaai Yuki  
December 4, 2003 - September 13, 2009

Miki’s eyes widen slightly. It wasn’t the girl’s name, nor was it the fact that she was born on Miki’s birthday. The date was what shocked Miki. To die at a young age left Miki a sense of melancholy. When Gumi went to stand behind her, Miki was too focus on the grave to notice. The green haired girl was about to speak up when she saw the tomb herself. Reading it, Gumi felt all energy leaving her body quickly.

“How sad,” she commented quietly. Miki nodded. After standing in silence for several more minutes, the two girls finally took a step and walked out of the graveyard.

“I have to get home,” Miki whispered. Gumi nodded, and the two bid farewell, parting to their own destinations. As she walked on, Gumi continued to wonder about Mayu. There was no mistake. Mayu was there at the graveyard, and Gumi was heavily curious on to why she was there.

~~~

When Miki was heading home, she continued to recall the events that had occurred during the day. This Saturday was the first day where Miki felt complete bliss. It had been far too long since she had last went and had a fun time with someone else. Miki never wanted to forget this day. Smiling so joyfully, Miki began to skip home. She had already forgotten about all her troubles.

Then Miki had reached a corner. Her home was at the left turn. Skipping happily to the left, she continued on, almost reaching her humble abode. It wasn’t until she was just a house away when she suddenly stopped. As quickly as she had felt so happy, all of it had vanished and was replaced with a feeling of fear.

Mayu was there, standing right in front of the girl’s home. Miki didn’t know what to do. She didn’t even know why Mayu was there in the first place. Could it be that Mayu went to talk to her parents? Maybe she was just walking by. Miki didn’t know, and at the moment, she remained at her spot, fearing of her teacher.

Then Mayu turned to face Miki. Seeing her there, the cream haired woman began to walk towards her student, keeping a face that showed no emotion. Unsure of what to do, Miki froze, knowing that Mayu was coming. Miki remained, and then suddenly, Mayu was right in front of her.

“You must have had a great time today, spending time with those two idiots,” Mayu began to speak to the girl. Miki’s eyes widened. How did she know? “What a shame though,” Mayu continued. “Can you really consider them a friend just for that?” Hearing those words, Miki began to think. Friend? Did Miki actually thought that maybe, she could be friends with them? “Perhaps,” Mayu spoke again. “They were only being nice to you.”

Any remaining happiness that was inside of Miki suddenly vanished. The feeling of sorrow was starting to take over. ‘Only being nice to me?’

“Poor Miki, you don’t have a single friend in the world, do you?” Mayu asked emotionlessly. “Everyone is out to get you, tormenting you every day,” she taunted. Miki stood there, facing the ground at this point. She did not want to be reminded of all the pain again. Tears were threatening to spill. “How about,” Mayu began once again. “You become friendly with me?” Miki looked up, confused to what the woman was saying.

“I must go now,” Mayu said, and then she began to walk. As she walked right passed Miki, she paused, standing right next to her. “Do think about it, being friendly with me,” Mayu said, and a small, sinister smile began to show. “There are many benefits of siding with me.” After that, Mayu took another step and walked further away.

Miki stood there, Mayu’s words repeating in her head.

“There are many benefits of siding with me.”

~~~

In the early Monday dew, SeeU continued on her way to school, flashcards in her hand. The test was the first thing to happen in class for the day, and SeeU has studied for quite a long while. She definitely did not want to be a rep again. In her studying time, Leon’s words came to her mind.

“I’m going to skip the test.”

“Good morning!” a male voice cried out right in front of her. Shocked by the sudden call, SeeU quickly looked up, but soften once she saw who it was.

“Good morning, Leon,” she softly greeted back. “Are you really going to skip the test?”

“Of course,” Leon answered. “I honestly don’t mind doing the chores. It’s one less person in class being miserable, after all.”

“Alright then,” SeeU said. “I’ll see you after the test.” She continued to walk towards the school.”

“Hey!” Leon cried out. SeeU turned to him, wondering what he wanted. Staring at her for a bit, Leon smiled. “Good luck on the test.”

A smile came on her face. “Thank you.” Turning back around, she headed to school.

~~~

Sitting at her desk, SeeU continued to read the cards she had made for herself to study. In the meanwhile, her friends were nowhere to be found in the room. Some students like Miriam and Flower were sitting quietly, reading their books. Others were engaged in their own conversations. The morning was quite lively for being a day where new representatives were to be announced after the test.

Soon, in minutes, the bell rang. At that moment, Ann, Chika, and Prima had entered the room. Seeing them, SeeU called them over to her. “Where did you guys went?” She asked them.

“We went to the restroom together,” Chika answered quickly.

“Eh,” SeeU looked at them. “Why? Don’t we always go there together?”

“Sorry,” Ann apologized. “I was going to asked, but you looked so busy studying.”

“We didn’t want to bother you,” Prima added. SeeU simply looked at them, but smiled nonetheless.

In the next seconds, Mayu has entered the room. The students who had been standing quickly seated themselves. At that same time, SeeU felt a strange sensation growing in her body. Grabbing onto her stomach, SeeU tried to calm it down. In seconds, the girl had realized that, maybe, she shouldn’t have appeared to be so focused that her friends didn’t want to bother. She now wished that they had went to ask her, after all.

“Class representative.” The voice of her teacher snapped SeeU out of her thoughts. She moved her head up and made eye contact with Mayu. “What are you doing?” Mayu asked strictly. “What about gorei?”

SeeU quickly realized that she forgot to commit to her morning chore. “Stand,” she announced, and she, along with all her classmates in the room stood. “Bow.” Everyone bowed in silence. “Sit,” and then every student sat down back to their seats. As she sat down, SeeU felt the need to go use the restroom growing more recklessly.

Mayu passed out the tests, and every student grabbed one. “Like last week,” Mayu began. “You will have only twenty minutes to take the test. The two with the worst grades will be the next class representatives.” Mayu looked at all of her students, one by one. She then spotted the empty seat next to SeeU. “Nevermind,” she spoke again. “Only one student, the one with the worst grade, will be a representative. The student here with the second worst grade, you can do yourself a favor and thank Mr. Satou when you see him after the test.”

The students remained seated, unwilling to move at all. None of them wanted to be a representative at all. In all through that silence, SeeU grew more uncomfortable. At this point, it was too late to go to the restroom, especially since Mayu clearly stated that no student is allowed to leave.

“Now,” Mayu’s voice rang out to the class. “Begin.”


	11. Second Test Result

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class take their second exam in the school year to determine who will commit to all the chores the next week. SeeU is unable to focus, but...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to update this on here ;; Sorry for the delay ;;

Everyone sat silently, focused entirely on their test. Well, almost everyone was focused on their test. SeeU tried to focus, but through every minute that had passed, her need to go use the restroom worsened. She couldn’t even focus on the test thanks to that. All she had accomplished through the seven minutes that went by was writing her name and the first three answers to the questions. Sweat was beginning to form on her face. SeeU tried to focus on the test, but that grew more difficult each second that passed.

Several more minutes passed, and Flower had become the first to complete her test like the previous week. Turning her paper around, the girl took noticed of SeeU, like she had last week. Once again, she noticed that the girl was in distress, just exactly like last week. As SeeU wrote, her pencil tip broke, exactly like the previous week. However, unlike last week, SeeU did not care anymore.

She really needed to go, but using the restroom in the middle of class was forbidden under Mayu’s teaching. SeeU was well aware of it, so asking to go would be useless. However, something inside her was telling her to go ask anyway. She ignored that urge, knowing that she will be denied. Then several more minutes went by. The need to go was getting worse. More sweat was born. SeeU continued to suffer in her seat. That desire to ask was starting to bloom.

Finally, SeeU didn’t care anymore.

“Sensei,” she quietly called for her teacher’s attention. Mayu turned to face the blonde haired girl.

“What is it?”

“Please let me use the toilet.” SeeU sounded sincerely honest when she had said that in her quiet voice. Mayu simply stared at her, not giving an answer at all. “Sensei…” SeeU spoke again. Some students began to look up from their test and turned to face SeeU.

“I thought I told you,” Mayu finally spoke. “Going to the bathroom during class is forbidden.”

SeeU looked at her. “I’m sorry… but,” she slowly spoke. “I can’t hold it.” SeeU stood up from her seat as most students in the classroom stared at her. Usually, she would be embarrassed to get any kind of attention on her, but right now, she did not care. Her needs were far more important at this point. “I’m sorry,” she apologized as she bowed slowly.

“If you want to go,” Mayu spoke after several seconds of silence. “Then go.” SeeU stood straight and looked at her in shock. “But,” Mayu continued on. “I will not let you continue the test.”

SeeU stood there, stunned by Mayu’s words. In silence, SeeU remained standing until finally, she sat down in defeat. She really needed to go, but she had no idea that she would have to stop taking the test just for doing so. Her goal was to not be a class representative. Sitting down, SeeU picked up her pencil and tried to focus again.

Some of her classmates had noticed. She really needed to go. This was a clear emergency, and yet, Mayu refuses to allow her to leave unless she was willing to quit on taking the test. At this point, a few were already thinking on how unfair Mayu was at that time, while others simply did not care enough and continued on to their test.

“Sensei,” an androgynous voice echoed through the room. The owner of the voice stood up, and the majority of the same students who had stared at SeeU turned from their test again.

“What is it?” Mayu asked as she looked at her student.

“Please let Dahee-san go to the bathroom.”

After those words were said, every single student in the room had stopped themselves from continuing the test. All of them turned to face Flower.

“She…” she began as she looked at SeeU. “She looks like she really needs to go.”

“You know the rules,” Mayu simply told Flower. “It’s her fault for not going during break.”

“I don’t think always following the rules is the best option.” Everyone stared at Flower, shocked and surprised that she, the student who had been given special privileges, dared to speak back to Mayu. “That’s a top, heavy bureaucracy.”

Mayu simply stared at Flower, a small smile appearing on her face. “I’m…” she slowly began. “I’m afraid that she might be pretending just so she can cheat,” she told her with a serious face.

“Sensei, you know that Dahee-kun is not the kind of person who would go and cheat.” Flower spoke back once again, and then she continued on with her words.

“Sensei, you are very strict, but I kept my mouth shut and obeyed you because most of the time, you were right.” She paused for a moment, and then she continued. “Isn’t this bullying though? Dahee-san studied very hard for today just so she won’t be a class representative again. You know that very well. You are going to make that go to waste.” Flower kept her gaze locked with her teacher’s golden orbs.

“I feel that you are wrong.”

After ending her speech with that phrase, all eyes were glued on Flower. A few students silently clapped under their desks, glad that someone had finally spoken out. A few others looked at each other and smiled, enjoying what they have witnessed. Others simply turned to Mayu, curious to how she will react to Flower’s words against her.

Mayu simply stared at Flower for a few seconds. Afterwards, a faint smile had appeared on her face as she stood up and walked towards the white haired girl. Stopping right in front of Flower’s desk, Mayu leaned in a bit, so only Flower will hear her words.

“You go with her then,” she spoke quietly but strictly. “But in return, I won’t let you come back to finish the test.”

“I don’t care,” was Flower’s response. She left her desk to where SeeU was at. “Let’s go,” she said, giving the girl her hand. Staring at her, SeeU slowly accepted and stood from her desk. The two girls then walked out of the room. A few students watched them leave, a few others continued to look at each other, and the rest went to finish their tests.

Mayu stood in front of Flower’s desk in a daze. Slowly, she looked down at the turned over test Flower had written on. With her hand, Mayu flipped the test over. It was amazing. In ten minutes, or even less, the student had answered every single question. Reading every single answer, Mayu could tell that they were all correct. She really was a smart girl. Too bad that her fate was now sealed.

\---   
The moment they had left the room, Flower began to run to the closest bathroom while firmly holding on to SeeU’s hand. The two girls ran in the hallways as quickly as possible. SeeU really needed to go. Once they turned at a corner, Flower spotted a sign that signalled a restroom was nearby. She continued to run to there quickly.

But then, SeeU stopped and released her hold on Flower, and she fell to the ground. After feeling her hand had gone empty, Flower slowly stopped. Standing there for a few seconds, she slowly turned around to see SeeU. Then, she looked at the ground below the girl.

A transparent puddle was formed, and it continued to grow bigger each second. Flower continued to stare at SeeU, noticing that tears were beginning to form on her eyes. Soon, one tear had fallen from SeeU’s face to the puddle below her. Turning around entirely, Flower slowly walked towards SeeU, careful to not step on the puddle.

“Let’s go to the nurse,” she told her. “I’m sure they have a change of underwear.” SeeU slowly looked up at the tall girl in front of her. Slight red and water were on her eyes. She slowly looked down.

“I can go there by myself,” she quietly told her.

“Okay,” Flower responded. “I’ll clean up here then while you go.”

SeeU slowly looked up at Flower again, and slowly, she stood up from her spot. “Thank you.” Then she slowly walked around her mess, heading to the nurse’s office. After taking a few steps, SeeU paused and turned to Flower. The girl had also turned to her, and it appeared that she has read her mind.

“Don’t worry,” Flower told her. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” SeeU told her in response. At that moment, when she heard those words, SeeU felt heavily grateful. Turning back around, she walked to the office..

\---  
Slowly closing the door, SeeU heads back to the classroom. Throughout the walk, all she can do was grimly think of how the rest of the day will be. She knows she will be the next representative. It had been obvious. She only answered three of the one hundred questions on it. SeeU mentally slapped herself. She should have went to the restroom earlier. That way, she would have never made that accident right in front of her classmate.

Once she reached the classroom, the bell ranged. When she entered, she found Flower, sitting in her seat at the back corner, reading her book. SeeU wanted to come up to her, simply to thank her again. With only a few steps in the classroom, someone had pat on her back. Turning around in surprise, SeeU caught the site of Leon.

“How did you do?” He asked cheerfully. “Did you get a one hundred percent?” SeeU looked down again. She did not know what to say to him. He had cheered for her to do well, and here she was, going to be a rep with him again. Before she could even speak, Mayu had entered the room. All students who were standing, including SeeU and Leon, went straight to their seats. After seating herself, SeeU went on to do the morning school routine.

“Stand,” SeeU began, but Mayu immediately spoke back.

“You don’t have to do it anymore.”

“Eh?” SeeU was confused. She failed the test, yet she didn’t have to do the command anymore?

“For this week, I will let someone else be a rep.” Hearing those words, SeeU’s eyes widen. She was no longer a class rep? Everyone in the room looked around, curious to who had flunked the test. Who was the next class rep?

Mayu left her spot behind the podium and walked towards Leon. “To you, the idiot who skipped the test,” Leon smiled slightly, although he did not appreciate being called an idiot. Mayu then turned to Flower. “And you, who is very thoughtful of your classmates.”

Flower stared at Mayu, registering what she had said with an emotionless face. Everyone was staring, half of them shocked with what they had heard. Flower was intelligent. It was hard to believe that she had failed the test, unless there was a different excuse.

Mayu turned around and went back to the front of the room while speaking. “Since you are so nice, I am sure you don’t mind becoming a rep for Dahee-san’s sake, right?” Flower sat there in silence, and second thoughts were coming in the students’ minds. Everyone was confused at this point.

“From now on,” Mayu announced to the class. “Not only those who fail the tests, but those who disobey me will become the reps regardless of how well they did on the test.”

Silence filled the atmosphere of the room. All twenty-four students in the room were slowly taking in Mayu’s words. If it was bad enough that they had tried so hard to not failed the test, they now also had to fear of attempting to speak back to Mayu. Leon was right. Not a single one of them was willing to be a rep for a week.

“What are you doing?” Mayu scolded Flower. “Hurry up and do gorei,” she commanded. “Time should not be wasted.”

Flower sat there for a few more seconds in silence, until finally, she stood. “Stand,” she announced softly, and everyone stood. “Bow.” Everyone bowed. “Sit.” Then everyone sat back down.

“Representatives,” Mayu called out. “The blackboard is dirty. Hurry up and clean it. Otherwise, class can not start.” Leon sighed and stood up. Once again, this was not what he wanted. He specifically asked for the next rep to be someone who had the worst grade. The fact that the next rep would be someone who disobeyed Mayu was one of the last things he thought would happened. Flower stood up as well, and they both walked towards the board, grabbing erasers and cleaning it. SeeU simply watched them, still unable to accept what has happened.

“Isn’t that nice, Dahee-san?” Mayu’s voice caught SeeU’s attention. “You have two nice friends who are willing to become representatives in your place.” Willing? That did apply to Leon, but to Flower? No one expected that sudden twist. Who would have thought that Flower would be the next rep, despite earning a perfect score?

After cleaning the board, Leon and Flower went and sat down to their seats. Mayu then stood to right in front of the podium, looking at each and every student in the room.

“Everyone,” Mayu grabbed everyone’s attention. “In this one year that we have together, your last year of junior high school,” she continued on as everyone looked at her, wondering what she will say next.

Mayu then smiled as she finished her sentence. “Let’s have a lot of fun.”


	12. Disobeying a Teacher is Unacceptable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SeeU feels guilty for the result of the second exam and tries to reverse it. That's easier said than done...

“From now on, not only those who fail the tests, but those who disobey me will become the reps regardless of how well they did on the test.”

The Monday of the second week of school had reached its end. Once the bell rang to signal that school is over, Flower stood to do the last gorei.

“Stand,” she announced, and everyone stood. “Bow,” and everyone bowed with “Sayonara” coming out of everyone’s mouths. Before anyone else could move, Mayu spoke.

“Hanazono-san, you don’t have the right to use the lockers anymore. Hurry up and remove your belongings,” she commanded. “The rights to use the locker will pass on to Stockley-san.” After Mayu finished, Flower stood up and went towards the locker in the back of the room. “Once you are done, you and Satou-san can go clean the first grade classrooms.” As Flower continued to remove her belongings, the teacher continued. “Anyone who feels bad for them and attempts to help will become representatives right away.”

Ending her word, Mayu grabbed her books was about to head out of the room. “Excuse me, Sensei,” Miriam called out. She stood up and went to Mayu, who had paused and turned to her. “Can I ask a question?”

Mayu stared at Miriam. “Of course you can. Let’s go to the staff room.” After saying that, she and Miriam had walked out of the room. Once the two had disappeared, the class began their chatter and complaints.

“Isn’t she something?”  
“Now that Hanazono is out of the way, Stockley is all over Mayu.”  
“She’s quite a nerd, isn’t she?”  
“Stockley’s a teacher’s pet.”  
“Mayu is still scary, and it’s the second week of school now.”  
“Mayu’s a devil, isn’t she?”

\---  
“Hanazono-san and her standing up to Mayu with her bureaucracy and stuff was quite interesting,” Chika commented. She, Ann, Prima, and SeeU were walking out of the classroom together. A few students spotted them and began to follow them, wanting to spend time with the school’s idols.

“She’s quite arrogant, isn’t she?” Prima stated boldly.

“That’s why she has no friends,” Ann commented. As they walked, more fans of them wanted to know what they were gossiping about.

“Ann, you said something about someone having no friends?”  
“Is it Miki again? We’ll beat her up for you.”

Ann laughed. “Some girl in our class called Hanazono Flower was acting all arrogant to the teacher. It was quite an interesting scene today.” Everyone around the girls ooh’d and leaned in, wanting to learn more.

“Ah!” SeeU yelled, and she quickly turned to her friends. “I forgot something. You guys go on ahead without me.” With that, SeeU ran back to the room.”

“Haha, she’s left something of hers again,” Chika chuckled.  
“SeeU is so forgetful, hehe,” Prima commented.  
“That’s why SeeU is really cute,” Ann stated in a softer tone.

SeeU had heard none of that, especially since she ran a good enough distance to no longer hear them. Flower was the only person in SeeU’s mind now. Throughout the entire day after the test, SeeU had felt guilt engulfed in her stomach. If it weren’t for her, Flower would never have to be a rep. In truth, she really didn’t forget anything. She just wanted to go back to the classroom and face Flower with an apology.

When she reached the room, SeeU had noticed that all the desks were pushed together near the walls. Flower held a broom in her hand and was sweeping the dust and dirt together. SeeU tried to think of the words to say, but instead, she stood by the doorway, continuing to stare at the white haired girl.

“What’s up, SeeU?” Leon cheerfully greeted the girl, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Did you want to walk home with me or something?” He kept a warm smile on his face. SeeU was clearly surprised with his words.

“I-I just forgot something,” she lied to him and continued walking. Rather than helping Flower, Leon had been playing around with Mayu’s wheeled chair. Spinning around in it, he used it as his transportation, following SeeU.

“You’re pretty lucky,” he lightly commented. “Even though you got a zero on the test…”

“If that is how you feel, stop skipping the test,” SeeU scolded him.

“Eh? It’s a protest against Mayu,” Leon informed SeeU as Flower put aside the broom. “Also, one less person in class being miserable,” he added as Flower grabbed the trash bins and began to walk out of the room.

“What are you saying?” SeeU softly asked as she spot Flower leaving the room. “Ah, Hanazono-san!” She cried out, although she ended her words on a shy note.

Flower stopped and turned to face SeeU. “What is it?”

As she walked up to Flower, SeeU struggled to find the words. Getting closer, SeeU finally muttered out what she could say. “Um… s-… Sorry. It’s my fault that it ended up like this.”

“I don’t care,” Flower told her after seconds of silence. “It’s not your fault,” she added. Flower turned around and continued to walk out, carrying the two large bins in her arms.

“Um,” SeeU began and ran to Flower, attempting to grab one of the bins. “I’ll hel-”

Before she could grab it, Flower turned and brought the bin closer to her, to ensure that SeeU didn’t grab it. “Stop it,” she scolded SeeU with a serious voice. “Mayu said she will make anyone a rep if they help.” With that, Flower turned and walked away once more. SeeU stood there, still feeling the guilt of having Flower do chores in her place.

Realizing nothing could be done, SeeU began to walk. Going downstairs, SeeU was glad the school was emptier. She was in no mood to have people come up to her just because she was a friend of Ann. When she had reached the end of the stairs, she continued to walk, only to look up and spot two figures walking towards her direction.

“Thanks to your explanation, I understood the problem perfectly. Thank you so much,” Miriam gleefully told her teacher as they walked. Mayu simply nodded. “Good bye,” Miriam told her, bidding farewell. When the two reached SeeU, Miriam turned to walk up the stairs while Mayu simply walked past SeeU.

A sudden idea had quickly come to SeeU’s head. Maybe she can apologize to Mayu. Ask Mayu to forgive Flower. Maybe that could help. Now SeeU just need to get over her fear of Mayu again. Spinning around, SeeU slowly followed Mayu, once again having trouble speaking.

“Um…. Sensei,” she softly whispered. Mayu had heard her though, as she had paused her footing. SeeU paused for a moment, and then she found the small courage required to speak. “Please forgive Hanazono-san.”

After a few seconds, Mayu turned to face her, her eyes that lacked emotion staring straight into the girl. “Hm… making her do all the chores for my sake despite having the best grade,” SeeU shyly began. “Isn’t it a bit mean? If you want, you can make me do the chores again… no, you can make me a representative again.” She continued to stutter the words out of her mouth. “On today’s test, I got a zero because I had-”

“The only students who can talk to me outside of class are the top two students.”

SeeU paused, gaping at the words that flew out of her teacher’s mouth. With that said, Mayu turned and continued walking. Out of the corner in the hallway, Flower carries the two bins, now stacked, in her arms as she walks. When Mayu catches sight of her, she pauses, and Flower stops herself when she sees Mayu. Silence engulfed the hallway.

“You asked her?” Mayu questioned the tall, stoic girl. While her face had been emotionless, Flower hinted a look of confusion to her teacher. “You told her to ask me to forgive you?” Mayu questioned again. This time, Flower remained lacking emotion on her face, but she answered honestly.

“No.” She shook her head softly. “I did no such thing.”

“I’ll say this once,” Mayu spoke immediately. “No matter how good the grades are, those who disobey me will be punished. Students opposing a teacher is not acceptable.”

After the words echoed through the dark, empty hallway, ringing in SeeU’s ears, Mayu and Flower kept their eyes towards each other. In seconds, after staring for what has felt like a long time, Mayu took her leave. She walked forward, passing the white haired girl. Flower stood at her spot, keeping a face that lacked emotion. SeeU kept her gaze on Flower.

In the end, she still felt guilty.


	13. Morning Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few students overslept and realize they are late. Attempts to get to class before Mayu leads to a result that pushes the students towards despising her even more.

‘So comfy…’

Gumi kept her body nuzzled into her blankets. They were so warm. She wanted to stay in them for all eternity. The girl kept herself buried in her sheets, uncaring of what would possibly happen. Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, she felt vibration through her pillows. The wonderful feeling of it had continued for so long. Gumi found herself loving the sensation.

Then it ended, and Gumi found herself feeling grumpy. Why did the vibrating stop? She was enjoying it. Minutes passed, and there was still no vibration, and in a slow pace, the drowsiness was beginning to wear off. Slowly moving her head, Gumi reached below her pillow to grab the source of the sweet feeling. Taking her phone out, Gumi groggily checked her messages.

Seven missed calls, and three text messages. All of them were from Kokone. After marking off her missed calls, Gumi checked her messages, from the oldest to the most recent.

From: Kokone  
Hey, Gumi, wake up! We can’t be late to school!  
Sent at 8:22AM

From: Kokone  
Gumiiiiiiiiiii! Hurry up, or we will be late!  
Sent at 8:29AM

From: Kokone  
I take it you are having a nice, deep sleep. I’ll see you in school, hopefully not when Mayu is already in the room.  
Sent at 8:35AM

8:35… AM…. Eyes shot opened, Gumi quickly turned her head to her clock.

It was now 8:46AM. School starts at exactly 9 in the morning… it was a twenty minute walk from Gumi’s house to school…

Once the realization immediately dawned on the girl, Gumi was quick to jump out of her bed. Immediately stripping off her pajamas, the girl rushed to pull on her white seifuku shirt, her blue skirt, and white, ankle length socks. When she dressed herself as fast as possible, Gumi grabbed her red ribbon and tied it on her shirt as quickly as she can. Once it was tied, although very sloppily, Gumi grabbed her phone in one hand and her bag filled with her school supplies on the other. To hell with checking if she had anything. Gumi knows that Mayu might kill her for showing up to class late. Right after putting on her shoes at the entrance, uncaring if they were even tied, Gumi bolted out of her home.

Running as fast as she can, Gumi took a glance on her phone. It was now 8:55AM. If she kept running at this pace, she could possibly make it. She just needs to be in her classroom in five minutes, at least before Mayu makes it. Uncaring that she ran through streets when cars could have even hit her, she kept running. She can not be late.

When she was near the river that drifted by, Gumi knew she was close. She can make it. She is sure she can make it.

“Gumi!”

A familiar male voice had cried out to the girl. Before she even realized it, Leon ran right beside her. “Leon!?” Gumi yelled in shock. “You’re a rep! You are supposed to be in school thirty minutes earlier!”

“I know!” Leon screamed back. “I just happened to overslept by accident,” he responded.

“I don’t even know how I overslept,” Gumi commented and sighed deeply. She was so sure she had her alarm on.

The two continued to run as fast as their legs can take them. In another minute, before they realized it, they had reached the school entrance where Ms. Loid was standing at.

“Good morning!” Gumi and Leon shouted as they ran past her.

“Good morning,” Ms. Loid greeted back. “You two are late. Hurry to class,” she called out as she went to close the school gate. The two students had hoped that the vice-principal was lying, except the school bell had rung, echoing through the area, signalling that class will begin.

‘Shit!’

Entering the building, Leon and Gumi continued to run nonstop, refusing to be late. As they continued to run up the stairs, Leon skipped a few steps. Gumi attempted to mimic him, only to trip and collided harshly with the steps. Struggling to stand as fast as she can, Gumi quickly looked down on her shin and discovered a mark of black and blue starting to form. Ignoring it, she stood and kept running.

In the hallway, Miki was walking at a slow pace. In actuality, she was in deep thought, and as a result, she did not hear the bell going off. However, she did hear the sounds of footsteps behind her. Before she could even react, Leon had quickly ran by her.

“Hurry up!” He yelled at her while running. “You’ll be late.” That very moment, Miki had realized that she had zoned out and witnessing Leon running quickly, she assumed the bell must have rung. Miki began to pick up her pace.

Leon kept on running, never bothered to take a break. Reaching the end of the hallway, he knew he had to take a turn, and the classroom will be there. Once he reached the corner, Leon was about to turn and run, until he caught the sight of the back of his teacher. Mayu was heading to the classroom. Realizing that Mayu will see him, Leon quickly paused in his footing. Miki had continued to run, and was too late to stop as she crashed into Leon’s back. Thankfully, this did not affect the boy so much, as he was quite tall and somewhat strong in comparison to Miki’s small and frail figure.

Turning his eyesight away, Leon looked to his left. Gumi was coming towards the two students, running as fast as she can. He even took notice of a bruise that was forming on the girl’s leg. Looking back at Mayu, Leon knew that at least Miki and Gumi should be in the classroom before Mayu enters.

Leaving his spot at the corner of the hallway, Leon ran at an incredibly fast pace, as if all the running he had to do had never affected him at all. The moment he went past his smaller, strict teacher, the boy began to scream wildly. All Miki could do was stare at the scene in disbelief.

“Hey,” Mayu’s emotionless voice was heard. “Stop,” she commanded, walking past the door that led to her classroom. Leon, who had ran to the stairs at the end of the hallway, reappeared. “Where are you going?” Mayu questioned.

“Ah! I’m sorry!” Leon began. “I must have forgotten where I was supposed to go,” he said while smiling cheekily. As he spoke, Leon wave his right arm towards the room while his right leg swayed back and forth. Miki stared at Leon’s movement, and suddenly, she realized what the boy was doing.

“Did I not tell you that as a class representative, you are to show up thirty minutes earlier and clean the room?” Mayu began to scold the student in front of her. As she spoke, Miki softly jogged to the room, praying that Mayu would not notice her. In seconds, once Miki safely and quietly entered the room without Mayu ever turning, Gumi finally caught up and was ready to run to the room, only to quickly pause once her teacher came to her eye vision.

“I’m sorry,” Leon apologized with lots of energy. “So many things had come to mind very recently, so I was unable to sleep peacefully.” While speaking, Leon kept up with his strange arm and leg movements. When Gumi took notice of his movement, she realized that Leon was distracting Mayu for her. Very quickly, Gumi quietly ran to the classroom, hoping for Mayu to never turn around.

As Leon kept talking, Mayu felt that something was up. It was very strange that Leon would talk with so much energy while moving so stupidly right in front of her. Gumi kept running to the classroom as it all happened. Mayu sensed that something was up. Very slowly, Mayu began to turn her head, all while Gumi was very close to the door. In the next few seconds, the teacher’s head was turned, facing the hallway behind her.

No one was there.

Sighing, Mayu turned to her blond hair student. “Really, I’m sorry,” Leon said once more. All Mayu could do was stare at him with a serious face. Then she grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him into the classroom.

\---   
While all of that had happened, when the bell rang, the twenty-one students who were already in the room had headed to their seats. When she sat down, Kokone could hope that Gumi’s face would appear at any second before Mayu came. The front door in the classroom was opened, and Kokone was at a position where she could see what was happening out there.

Kokone kept on staring at the door, hoping to see green with the typical female school uniform. Very quickly, when the appearance of her teacher had appeared, Kokone had nearly lost hope. Then…

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!”

All of a sudden, a flash of dark blue with a hint of yellow stormed by the door. When the scream was heard, the students in the room began to glance at one another, confused on what they had heard.

“What the hell…”  
“What kind of screaming was that?”  
“That was weird…”

“Hey.” Kokone, and probably a few others who bothered to pay attention, heard Mayu’s voice. Kokone kept on watching the door. After saying that one word, Mayu’s body had disappeared, heading towards the one who flashed by her. Kokone kept on watching, and she could hear some sort of conversation going on. There was Mayu’s serious voice, and then there was a bucket of energy from the one who ran by. Very quickly, Kokone recognized that voice.

‘Leon, as a rep, you were supposed to be here earlier,’ was all Kokone could think as she facepalmed. When she looked up again, Miki had entered the classroom. This did not go unnoticed by Ann.

“Hey, Furukawa-san,” Ann mockingly called to her.  
“Hey, isn’t she late?” Prima commented.

Ignoring the comments, Miki headed straight to her seat. A few seconds after Miki had entered, the one person Kokone hoped to see ran in the room. The girls stopped their taunting after seeing that Miki was not the only person who was late. Gumi headed straight to her desk, which was right next to Kokone’s, and quickly plopped down to her seat. Deeply breathing, the girl struggled to catch her breath.

“Good morning to you too,” Kokone whispered. Then, she took the next few seconds to stare at the girl. Short, green hair was unkempt, red ribbon was tied on horribly, shirt and skirt were wrinkled, and Kokone could have sworn she saw a mark of black and blue on her shin when she entered.

Then Mayu entered the room, dragging Leon with her, and all conversation had ceased. The teacher stood to her podium and kept her student right next to her.

“Stand,” Flower announced, and everyone stood. “Bow,” and everyone bowed.

“Good morning,” everyone greeted.

“Sit,” Flower spoke the last command, and everyone sat down. Mayu began class. Well, she began to spoke directly to Leon technically.

“Because of you,” Mayu began. “Class is now two minutes late. Apologize to everyone,” she commanded.

Leon faced the room and bowed deeply. “I’m sorry,” he loudly declared. After finishing his bow, Leon went to head to his seat.

“Who said you could go to your seat?” Mayu questioned, and Leon turned to her. Suddenly, the stoic teacher looked at the floor around her. “This area is covered in dust,” she informed him. “Go clean it right away.” Leon nodded, placing his bag down on his desk and leaving to go grab a rag. “What was the other representative doing?” Mayu asked directly to Flower. “Class can not start like this.”

Flower stared at her teacher with a matching stoic face. “I’m sorry,” she murmured loudly. Standing up, Flower went to follow Leon. The two went outside the classroom, grabbed a rag, and went to the sink. Dipping it in the water that came from the faucet, the two ringed it out and returned to the room with wet rags. As the two went on to do their task, Mayu began to speak.

“If the beginning of class is delayed thanks to late comers, I will keep you all here longer.” Much like the first day of school when Mayu was informing them of how she ran the class, the students were quick to complain loudly.

“Does that mean lunch break will be shorter too?” Luka asked.

“It has to be done,” Mayu answered her. “If we don’t do that, people who cause problems won’t learn a lesson.” Everyone was quiet as their teacher continued to speak. “Life is a pile of one second after another,” she began yet another speech to her students. “Wasting time is the same as wasting life. Don’t you think it is harmful to the class if such people are present in this room?” Mayu paused and took a small look at her room. There were a few students who were not paying attention to her. Regardless, Mayu continued and began to walk around the room as she spoke.

“Picture it,” she told the class. “In a company, no matter how good they are, only 30% of the people are doing their job properly.” As she was ending that sentence, she had walked by Kyo, who was engaged in a manga he had bought recently. Once she ended her words, Mayu snatched the book out of his hands and continued walking, leaving the boy in shock. “50% of people do things that basically have no effect to the company, and then there are the 20% of people who drag the entire company down.” While she kept on talking, she headed towards Prima, who was busy applying makeup to her face. When the girl had just placed her lipstick in her box and was about to grab another utensil, Mayu grabbed the box immediately and continued walking, ignoring Prima’s cry to return it.

“The main problem is that the people who are serious will feel foolish while looking down at those who drag them down.” After witnessing Kyo and Prima losing their personal belongings, Iroha quickly tried to put away her kitty plushie, not wanting to lose it either. “And they will sink down to their level.” Iroha felt that she was near safe until Mayu stood right next to her. The teacher pulled the girl’s arm away and went straight to her bag, grabbing the stuff animal out of it. Heading back to the front with a manga, make up box, and plushie in her hands, Mayu continued talking.

“The company will quickly collapse.” Placing the items that belong to her students on her podium, she continued as if nothing has ever happened while staring at her class. “There is something like this going on in this class right now.” While listening, Flower and Leon continued cleaning while everyone else stared at Mayu.

“Wouldn’t it be better if the 20% of those people who drag everyone down were not here?”

Silence filled the room. Students who were seated continued to keep their gaze on their teacher. Flower was still kneeled to the floor, cleaning it with her now dirty rag. Leon was cleaning the board with erasers in his hand. No one dared to speak. Then, unexpectedly, a sound of a ringtone echoed in the room. Mayu turned her gaze towards a certain curly blonde hair girl whose eyes were slowly widening.

“You seem to fit into that 20%.” Mayu announced as she began to walk towards Ann. Everyone kept their eyes on her. The only people who dared acted against Ann were those who either despised her or were jealous. Mayu was the first teacher, let alone the first adult, to treat Ann as if she was completely normal, never as if she was famous, and she treated her with strictness, something Ann was never used to. The girl tried to grab her phone and turn it off before Mayu could even reach her. By the time she had turned it off, the one person she hoped to not be there was standing right in front of her.

“Um…” Ann began. She was so used to having people flocking all over her and was given gifts and love everyday. If anyone dared expressed their dislike of Ann, the people were encouraged to harass them for the rest of their lives. Ann had tried to get her fans to harass Mayu as well, but when they even tried to get near the woman, they had all chickened out the moment they felt Mayu’s dark aura. “I’ll be sure to turn off my phone next time, so please…” Ann shyly spoke. Not once did she ever have to be shy until she was placed in the same room as Mayu. Not liking the student’s answer, Mayu quickly dived into the girl’s arms and grabbed the phone away. Ann tried to reach for it, but Mayu had already walked away with the phone in her hand.

“That’s enough,” Mayu announced, placing the phone with the other belongings. “Now we will begin class. Open your textbooks to page 27.” As Mayu went to grab her book, Ann simply stared at her, struggling to hide the angry tears that were threatening to spill.


	14. Mothers' March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hearing what's going on with their children in class, the mothers of the students enter the school, demanding to see Mayu themselves.

“So mean!”

After their dance practice, Ann, Prima, Chika, and SeeU had ordered simple McDonalds’ meals for themselves as dinner. Eating at Ann’s backstage room in a stage building, the girls quickly complained about class.

“I didn’t mean for my phone to suddenly ring like that!” Ann exclaimed. “It was an accident!”

“I can’t believe she took my make-up box from me!” Prima complained after swallowing a french fry. “It was rare, and my mom bought it for me. She’s the worst.”

“Isn’t it weird that she is punishing those who disobey her and giving priveleges to people with good grades?” Chika questioned as she dunked her nugget in honey mustard sauce.

“It’s definitely weird,” Prima answered before putting another fry in her mouth.

“This is driving me nuts,” Ann commented, and then she grabbed on to Chika’s and Prima’s arms. “Let’s get our mothers to complain.”

Prima and Chika nodded while SeeU quietly drank her coke. “We should have done that sooner,” Prima commented. “This is driving me nuts.”

Putting her cup down, SeeU spoke up. “Hey, please don’t mention anything about me doing chores.” As she picked up her can, Ann quickly spoke back.

“What are you saying, SeeU? You’re the one who has it the worst,” Ann told her.

“That’s true, but…” SeeU trailed off, but Ann interrupted her.

“Don’t you feel responsible for what happened to Hanazono san? There is nothing left but to tell our parents.”

“I can’t depend on my mom, though,” SeeU tried to explain, but once again, Ann interrupts her.

“Don’t worry. It will be good if we get Chika’s mother to complain though. She is the PTA official after all.”

“If we get all the parents to complain,” Chika began. “There is no way Mayu can oppose us.” Prima and Ann quickly agreed with her while SeeU quietly ate her food.

\---   
“Tadaima!” SeeU called out as she entered her humble abode. After removing her footwear, SeeU was heading straight to her room on the second floor when she heard her mother speaking to someone else.

“Eh? SeeU was having such a bad time?” Hearing her name, SeeU stepped back down to the first floor and slowly walked to the family room where her mother was. Slowly entering, she found her mother, her back facing her, holding a phone close to her face.

“She did not say a single word to me,” Galaco continued talking on the phone. “She said that the homeroom teacher was good.” Right after saying that, Galaco turned and met her daughter. SeeU quickly waved and turned to walk away, but was immediately stopped. “Hold it, SeeU!” The teen was forced to stop as her mother resumed her conversation.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m so sorry for this trouble. Farewell.”

After hanging up on the phone, Galaco stood and went straight to her daughter. “I heard from Chika’s mother that you were made to do all the chores.”

With a smile, SeeU told her mom, “I don’t have to do them anymore.”

“That’s not the problem,” Galaco commented back. “Why did you keep quiet about something like this?”

“I didn’t want you to worry about me,” SeeU answered and tried to smile.

“Eh, SeeU, don’t you think I’m embarassed? A mother who has no idea what her child is going through at school…” SeeU kept her head down. This was why she did not want her mother to know.

\---   
The following morning, women march in the school with one similar goal in mind. They enter the school to meet the teacher of their children in the ninth grade. Passing the gate, they march forward. Some of the students were among the crowd, walking beside their mothers.

As Leon was tending the flowers right outside the school, he heard the continuous sounds of heels clicking. Looking up, he was surprised to see a handful of adults entering the school. In the hallways, Flower was sweeping when the mob pressed on. Staring at them, the girl was confused, wondering why they were here.

When they reached the teacher’s lounge, the students departed, heading straight to their classroom. Upon entry, a few cried with glee.

“She’ll freak when she sees all those mothers!”  
“Everything will be okay!”  
“Mayu will have to start being nicer to us after she sees our mothers!”

Many students in the room continued to cheer, believing that because their mothers had came, Mayu will have no choice but to stop with her silly rules. During the teens’ cheers of happiness, SeeU remained in her seat in silence. She couldn’t bring herself to be happy like her friends. Throughout the time, she continued to fight against the negative feelings she was having. She knew that, somehow, Mayu will find a way to resolve this problem, and however she did it, the students may not like it at all.

\---  
“What do the principal and vice-principal think about this?”  
“Telling the kids that only 6% of them can be happy?”  
“Calling my child ordinary?”  
“My child has been so down this past week.”  
“Isn’t this discrimination and abuse?”  
“Answer us!”

The mothers continued to harass Mr. Ueki and Ms. Loid with their questions, in which the two struggled to answer. Around the same time, Meiko entered the room just to witness the scene occurring on the other side. Holding her carrier up to cover her face, Meiko quickly and quietly strolled to her desk. Reaching it, she immediately hid behind it. Kiyoteru was already there when she had arrived.

“What is going on?” Meiko asked.  
“It’s better to not get involved,” Kiyoteru simply told her.  
“Those are the guardians of the third class in grade nine, right?”  
“After hearing what those girls in the class told me, and after Mayu called me out for trying to intervene, I had talked to the principal about it,” he informed her. “I told him he should say something to her before something like this happened.”

Meiko nodded, and then she remembered she was to give something to Kiyoteru. Reaching into her bag, she spoke, “Now is not a good time, but.” After finding the papers, she took them and gave them to Kiyoteru. “Here are the plans for tomorrow’s assembly, the crime prevention training.”

“Oh, the instructions for using the restraining rod,” Kiyoteru commented. He looked behind him, staring at the rod that lay on the wall. “Too bad we can’t use it on them,” he told Meiko, pointing his head towards the crowd of women. The two laughed quietly and then stared back at the scene that was taking place on the other side of the room.

“About our plan…” Akiko trailed off. Akiko Loid, the vice-principal of Bokaro Junior High, did not expect to deal with this situation. Now, being forced to talk to these mothers who came to complain about Mayu had only added to Akiko’s dislike of the woman. From the first day, after being told that Mayu had no plan to attend unimportant businesses and skipped the assembly, Akiko grew wary of the woman. She never understood why Ueki hired her.

“Ah, I will leave this matter to Ms. Loid here,” Ueki suddenly spoke up. Akiko turned to him in slight shock and confusion. “I have an important meeting to attend. Please talk to her about the matter,” he told the women.

‘You traitor! You do not have a meeting!’ Very badly, Akiko wanted to scream that to her superior, but she held herself back. Of course, when it came to situations like this, Ueki had no interest in getting involved in it. Now Akiko really wished that Ueki had listened to Kiyoteru. When he informed him of how Mayu ran her class, Akiko wanted so badly to intervene, but Ueki was against it. He simply told them to let Mayu do what she want, even confirming that she is an “excellent teacher.”

When Ueki walked away from the scene, Akiko had tried to chase after him. “Hey, principal!”

“Hey, vice-principal,” Chika’s mother, Mizki, pulled Akiko towards her. When the woman was closer to her, Mizki politely spoke to her. “What kind of measures will you take?” She asked with a smile.

Akiko tried to answer as professionally as she could. “Of course, we like to make sure that everyone here is satisfied,” she began as she stared at every mother in front of her. Each and every one of them held a serious face, wanting a proper answer. “So we’ll certainly…” Akiko did not know what to say. She knew she was going to make a fool of herself. While looking at all of the women, Akiko caught the sight of Meiko, hiding behind a desk, watching the entire scene. Suddenly, an idea clicked in Akiko’s brain.

Very quickly, Akiko side stepped out of the way, heading directly to where Meiko and Kiyoteru were hiding at. “I put Ms. Sakine in charge of Mayu. How about we hear from her?” Once Akiko came to her sight, Meiko silently swore at the lady and, when Akiko glanced at her, Meiko quickly gave the finger at her. ‘Do that again, and you’re out in the street,’ Akiko mouthed to the brunette. At the same time, the mothers immediately waltzed towards Meiko, wanting answers.

“Give me a break, Ms. Loid,” Meiko complained as she and Kiyoteru stood up from their spot.

“Ms. Sakine knows Ms. Akuma very well,” Akiko enlightened the women. Around the time she finished speaking, Leon poked his head in the room. When he was returning while carrying a recycling bin, he heard commotion going on in the teacher’s lounge and decided to check in silently.

“What kind of teacher is Ms. Akuma?” One mother asked.  
“I, myself, don’t really know,” Meiko tried to answer.  
“It seems that she has been violation the students’ rights with these mean things these past two weeks,” another mother blurted out.  
“I don’t think it’s like that at all,” Meiko tried to explain.  
“You’re the educational advisor, yet you are pretty evasive,” Mizki accused Meiko.

\---   
“Sorry, everyone. I think Ms. Akuma will be here very soon,” Leon mimicked what he had heard to his classmates. Standing on several desks, he entertained the other students while acting out what he heard earlier. Most of the students found themselves laughing.

“It hurts so much to laugh,” Yu commented.

“‘Everyone, please calm down!’ Meiko kept telling the mothers, and Chika’s mother went all, ‘and you call yourselves teachers! We are not leaving until we are satisfied!’”

Out in the hallway, Gumi tiredly walked into class. Once again, she had woken up late and had rushed to come to school. She really wished she did not stay up so late doing homework, and she had forgotten once again to turn on her alarm. Thankfully, she had arrived to school before the bell rang, and drowsily, she entered the classroom. Witnessing all of her classmates standing, Leon on several desks, and no teacher in sight, Gumi suddenly found herself wide awake.

“‘Otherwise, we will take this matter to the school board!’” Leon continued his skit to his classmates.

As everyone laughed, Gumi gave a look of confusion. “What is going on?” She asked quietly as she heard one comment, “Chika’s mom has them good now!” Flower, standing near her with a broom in her head, turned to her and gave her an answer.

“The mothers are here.”  
“Mothers?”  
“Those popular girls, especially Chika, complained to their mothers about Mayu, and they called the other mothers.”

“Well, I might have made it sound worse than it really was,” Chika murmured, and Gumi could hear her. “Ah well,” she shrugged.  
“This should get her good now,” Ann commented.

“I had no idea this was happening,” Gumi quietly told herself, although Flower had heard her.

“Neither did I.”

“We’re talking about Mayu though,” SeeU told Ann and their friends. She really was doubtful of the whole situation. “She might come up with something to beat them,” she informed her friends, although everyone had heard him.

‘She’s right,’ Gumi thought before yawning.

“No way,” Chika told SeeU. “Lately, if parents complain, teachers can’t oppose them.”

“I wonder,” Leon spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Prima asked.

“I don’t think you can really rely on your parents,” Leon told them. “Everyone might seem really determined, but inside, they really aren’t.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Prima responded.  
“What are you saying?” Chika asked while punching Leon’s leg. Right after the impact, Leon suddenly began to lose his balance on the desks. As he began to wobble, losing his balance further, the students tried to reach to him in an attempt to save him. Unfortunately, Leon wobbled enough to slip off the desk, falling right on SeeU. Very quickly, the girl tried to catch the taller boy. Once he made impact on her, SeeU was shoved to a desk. As she winced in pain, Leon quickly got off of her and then pulled her up.

“Sorry. Are you okay?” He asked kindly.

“Hey, Leon,” Kokone called out. “It’s very rude to land on girls.”

\---   
“Ms. Akuma has her own way of handling things,” Meiko tried to explain to the enraged mothers.

“What exactly is her way?” Mizki strictly asked Meiko. In the back of the crowd, Galaco had jumped and tiptoed, trying to hear them and ask questions. As Mizki spoke, Galaco heard the sound of soft heels clicking behind her, gradually coming closer. Slowly turning, Galaco went to see who was there.

Slowly, Mayu entered the teachers’ lounge, taking in the sight of the guardians in the room. Galaco had gaped at the woman. She was expecting a tall, firm looking woman, not a person with a youthful appearance and dressed in a childlike dress. When the other woman heard footsteps coming, they turned as well, catching the sight of Mayu.

As if there was nothing going on, Mayu simply sat at her chair and placing her bag on her desk. While she silently took out her laptop, Meiko tried to talk to her.

“Ms. Akuma?” Meiko called to her. She stayed silent. “Hey, Ms. Akuma,” Meiko tried to get her attention again. “These are the guardians of the students in your class,” she spoke as if Mayu was paying attention to her.

“So you’re Ms. Akuma?” Mizki asked, coming up to her. “What do you think you are doing, treating the children like this?”  
“Ann told me you went and took her phone away,” Lola, the mother of Ann, came up to her. “My daughter is an idol. She needs to stay in contact with her agency,” she tried to explain.  
“Don’t you think not letting them eat or go to the bathroom is corporal punishment?” A mother asked.  
“My child is very delicate,” another complained.

Throughout all the complaining, Mayu resumed with what she had been doing everyday, uncaring of the women right next to her.

“Hey,” Mizki tried to get Mayu’s attention. “Are you even listening?” Mayu ignored them and went on as if they were nonexistent.

“Galaco!” Lola cried out, pulling the woman closer. “You say something too! Ann told me your daughter has it the worst.”

“Yeah,” Galaco answered a little shyly. Turning to Mayu, she began to speak. “Why did you make my daughter do all the chores?” Right after she finished speaking, Mayu stood up. Finally acknowledging the guardians, Mayu spoke to them, all of them.

“If possible, I would like to speak to each and every one of you.”


	15. I Understand Them Better Than You Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students are confident that Mayu will be put in her place after their mothers come after her. They soon realize that things don't exactly go the way they expect it to...

Only six students remained in the classroom. The other fourteen year old children had left to the roof, most likely to watch their mothers leave. Those eighteen children were either simply curious to what the end result would be, or they believed everything will go their way if they get their mothers to complain. The remaining six students – Flower, Kokone, Gumi, Leon, Miki, and Oliver – were left behind as their mothers never came.

“Do they really think bringing their mothers will resolve everything?” Leon asked, breaking the silence that had overcome them in the nearly empty classroom.

“I wonder,” Flower murmured. “You said it earlier. People can appear to be very determined, but inside, they are cowards.”

“What reason is there to complain though?” Kokone asked. “Kyo, Prima, and Ann had their belongings taken away for a reason. The two students with the worst grades do chores as a way of encouraging them to do better. Although,” Kokone turned to glare at Leon. “Somebody here is too nice for his own good.”

“Hey,” Leon stared at Kokone in disbelief. “One less person to complain!” He tried to explain.

“If it was me, I’d let them suffer and deal with their own problems,” Kokone retorted back. “Also,” she turned to Gumi, who was happily sleeping on her desk. “What did she do to make herself late today and yesterday?” Standing up, Kokone walked to where Gumi was seated. The green haired girl was snoozing, her head leaning on the palm of her hand. Her right arm was used as support to keep her head up. Sighing deeply, Kokone quickly slapped the arm out of the way. In under three seconds, Gumi’s head fell directly to her desk.

Waking up to pain on her forehead, Gumi winced as she leaned up. Pressing her head to her forehead, she tried to rub the pain away. Opening one of her eyes slowly, a familiar girl with brown hair stood in front of her.

“What the hell, Kokone?” Gumi asked bitterly, continuing to wince in pain from the harsh contact. “I was having a nice dream,” she murmured.

“And you need to stop coming to school late,” Kokone scolded her.

“This is only the second day!” Gumi tried to explain.

“And it is the last day you are coming here late, too,” Kokone finished. “What did you do to your alarm clock anyway?” She asked harshly.

“I don’t know,” Gumi answered bluntly.

“What do you mean you don’t know!?”

“Eh,” Gumi began to recall on what had happened. Her alarm clock did not ring for two days straight now. Perhaps, maybe…

“I might have accidently turned off the alarm on Monday when I went to press it off,” Gumi answered with a smile of embarrassment. “That might be why it didn’t ring anymore,” she chuckled. Kokone facepalmed.

“I don’t even know what to do with you,” she growled under her breathe, and Gumi heard that.

“Kokone, you love me.”

“Thanks for reminding me.”

“So,” Gumi looked around the room. “Where did everyone else go?”

“Roof,” Flower answered. “While you peacefully slept, everyone who has a mother here left to the roof.”

“Oh,” was all Gumi could mutter before she went on with her mouth. “Flower’s mom isn’t here?” Gumi looked around the room. “Or Miki’s mom? Oliver’s mom?” Gumi faced her friend in front of her. “Not even yours?”

“My mom got a phone call last night,” Kokone explained. “I was confused when she came to me, asking about a teacher forcing students to do chores and not use the bathroom and such. I had to explain Mayu’s way of teaching, and she calmed down. God damn, Chika really went out when she spoke to her mother of this.”

“No wonder the mothers are here,” Gumi muttered. Standing up, she turned to Flower.

“My mother didn’t care,” was all the white haired girl said. Then she returned to her book. Gumi walked towards Oliver and rubbed his head. Oliver simply looked at her and let out a small smile that held a hint of sadness.

“I don’t have a mother, so she wouldn’t be able to come here,” he answered. Gumi figured immediately that the subject was painful, so she left it alone and gave the boy’s head another, warm hearted rub. Then, she went straight to Miki’s desk and stroked her cowlick.

“What are you doing?” Miki asked quietly. She couldn’t tell if this was even harassment or just Gumi being weird as usual.

“Just playing with your hair that sticks up naturally.” Yep, not harassment, thankfully, Miki sighed softly. “So your mom did not get a call?” Miki shook her head. “Ah. Well, kind of expected, since those girls like to pick on you a lot.” There was a sense of dislike in Gumi’s voice when she spoke. “Hey, Miki,” Gumi stared at the girl, eye to eye. “If they pick on you again, let me know. I’ll beat them for you.”

“Gumi, come to the bathroom with me,” Kokone complained.

“Okay!” Gumi cheered, rubbed Miki’s head and departed to the brunette. Miki stared at Gumi in disbelief. It was the first time someone told her they will protect her.

When Kokone and Gumi left the room, the brunette stared at the greenette. “Normally, I’d tell you to let her suffer and deal with it, but she has suffered enough, didn’t she?” Gumi nodded. Kokone sighed. “You’re just as nice as Leon,” she concluded. “Also,” Kokone looked at Gumi again. “How long do you intend to keep your parents’ relationship a secret?” Gumi shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“It can either get better or worse, Gumi,” Kokone continued. “At least they have yet to take their anger out on you.”

“Yeah,” Gumi trailed off. “That’s good,” she said quietly.

\---   
When Mizki became the first mother to speak with Mayu in their private meeting, the remaining mothers sat, gossiping on Mayu’s harsh ways of teaching the students. All of them were angry, confused, and concerned. They all wanted to make sure that their children were safe and happy with a good teacher.

When she came out of the conference room, however, Mizki was smiling. The mothers, all of them, went to her and asked how it went. Seeing that she was so happy, they were confused.

“She is so different from what I expected,” Mizki began to inform the seventeen other women. They all listened intently. “She is a really good teacher. Also, she praised me. She said my educational policy is excellent!” Everyone became puzzled at this point. Their children had told them that Mayu was awful with the chores and such, and now, to hear that Mayu was great, and from the President of the Board of Education no less.

“Well, see you all later, I’ll wait outside,” Mizki told them before she walked away. Once she was out of sight, another mother entered the room, and the rest were patient to wait. After a few minutes, she came out, smiling and praising Mayu, and when she was gone, the next one came.

Some time later, Akiko chose to go out in the hallway to see how Mayu was handling the women. She was sure that with this much trouble, Mayu would stop being arrogant towards her. Akiko poked her head out in the hall, and there were only two women left, Lola and Galaco. Zunko had just left the room and told the two that Mayu was great. As Zunko was leaving, she walked past Akiko, and the vice-principal noticed that Zunko was smiling. Watching Lola entering the room, Akiko stared in disbelief. What did Mayu say that made the mothers so happy?

\---   
Lola was a single mother with only one child, which was Ann. Lola was a carefree mother who trusted her daughter’s word. When she was informed by her teenaged daughter of Mayu taking her phone away, Lola was quite angry. With her daughter being an idol and growing up, Lola had bought Ann a phone to ensure that she kept in contact with her agency. In addition, Ann had told Lola that Mayu had constantly poked fun at Ann, calling her lazy and undeserving of any attention she had gotten, even saying that she must be treated normally.

Now, Lola was sitting right across of Mayu. The teacher was surprising cute in Lola’s eyes. With yellow orbs, cream hair, soft cheeks all on her face, and then dressed in a bright red dress with black lace, and black stockings to match, and to end it all in Mary Jane shoes, Lola had found it hard to believe that Mayu was really in her thirties. Mayu looked so adorable. Then, she didn’t show any emotion. All there was in her face was seriousness, and her eyes appeared to be quite dead, too.

“So, what is this about?” Mayu sounded so serious too. “You came here to complain about me, right?”

Lola tried to keep a professional image. She felt she needed to show she truly is the mother of an idol. “Well, it seems that you took away my daughter’s phone,” Lola told her.

“It went off during class,” Mayu enlightened the mother. “Disruption is not allowed in the room, so it was punishment.”

“But,” Lola began. “My daughter is an idol, so-”

“Is your daughter’s career more important than her education?”

“Eh?” Lola was taken back by the sudden question.

“Is your daughter’s career more important than her education?” Mayu repeated herself. “Ann had given me the impression that by being famous, everyone will spoil her. She had expected me to give her special treatment like her previous teachers had.”

“What do you mean?” Lola asked. She was unaware of her daughter being given special treatment.

“Did you know that your daughter had bribed her previous teachers with gifts and money just to ensure that everything had will go her way?” Mayu sternly asked Lola. The woman shook her head in disbelief. “A few teachers these past two weeks had tried to cheer me up by saying that with Ann in my class, I will be earning more money and valuables. I had pressured them to quit their job this week because they did not care for their students at all.”

“But, Ann told me she was donating money to the school so it can get more supplies.”

“That’s right,” Mayu began immediately. “Ann had given money to this school, just to ensure that she would not have to repeat a year of seventh or eighth grade.”

“Eh?” Lola was stunned. Did her daughter really do that?

“It seems you have no idea what your daughter was doing, yet you are concerned over her phone being taken away just for her job.” Mayu called Lola out sternly.

“I’m sorry,” Lola apologized and bow. “I had no idea. I really didn’t. I thought Ann was following the rules properly. I had not realized she used her job to take advantage of teachers here.”

“Can I ask you to do me a favor?” Mayu asked, this time with a slightly kinder tone. Lola nodded. “Please keep Ann’s education over her job. I understand that Ann loves her job, and I’m sure you do too, but Ann is not doing too well in school.”

“She isn’t?” Lola asked in confusion.

“She failed the past two tests I have given out,” Mayu informed her. “Last week, she scored a 14%, and this week, she scored the second worst among all of her classmates, even lower than 14%.”

“Oh!” Lola was stunned. “I’m sorry! I will do anything I can to make Ann’s grade improve. I will cancel all of her appointments just so she can study.”

“It’s okay,” Mayu comforted Lola. “It must be tough to be a single mother, after all, and I heard that you fled from your husband from Sweden too.”

“Oh, it really is tough,” Lola began. “And I was in an arrange marriage with a drunkard. I did not want Ann to grow up with an abusive father, so I fled to Japan and raised her here these past fourteen, almost fifteen years. It was only a miracle that a model agent had found Ann playing around ten years ago. If it weren’t for her, we would still be suffering most likely. Ann would have never went to that private school when she was a child. Ann would also have never made friends like SeeU and Chika and Prima.” Lola then paused and realized she had talked too much. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Mayu told her. “It really was tough, after all, but you are still trying your very best, right?”

“Right,” Lola nodded. She stood up and bowed. “It really was nice talking to you, Ms. Akuma.” Mayu bowed slightly and handed the woman a familiar phone to her. Taking it, she bowed again. Lola waved farewell to the teacher and departed from the room.

“I believe there is only one more mother left,” Mayu told herself. In a few seconds, the door slide opened, and a woman with mixed hair color entered. Taking her seat, the woman stared at Mayu.

“You’re Dahee’s mother, Mrs. Kim, right?” Mayu asked politely.

“Ah, her nickname is SeeU, but yes, I am her mother,” Galaco nodded. When she named her daughter, she had thought Dahee was a cute name, but after a fun game of peek-a-boo when the girl was only three, Galaco began to affectionately call her SeeU, and the name had stuck by and still has yet to leave. Even all her friends and relatives called the young girl SeeU, and she was never bothered at all by it.

“You’re here to complain about me, right?” Mayu asked emotionlessly.

“Yeah,” Galaco answered. “I came here because it seemed that my daughter was made to do all the chores.”

“You didn’t hear from your daughter about her tests?” Mayu asked.

“Eh? No,” Galaco answered.

“Dahee, or SeeU, got a 0 two weeks in a row.”

“Eh!? She didn’t say anything to me.”

“Children and teenagers hide bad things from their parents,” Mayu informed her.

“Even if that is the case,” Galaco began. “Assigning all of these chores…”

“If kids are not punished, they won’t reflect on the things they did, and they won’t grow,” Mayu told her. Galaco nodded, understanding what she is saying. “If you look at it, giving out appropriate punishments to children is for their benefits.”

“You’re right,” Galaco commented. Mayu leaned in a little closer to her.

“Sorry to ask,” she began. “But how many years have you been married?”

“Hmm,” Galaco pondered for a second, then answered, “18 years.”

“It must be tough,” Mayu said. “The husband doesn’t understand the mother’s hardships.”

“Exactly!” Galaco agreed. “He used to be pretty nice, but now, he just treats me as a housewife. Every time he sees me, he complains. He doesn’t listen when I talk about the kids. When he talks, he doesn’t look at me,” Galaco vented to the woman in front of her, entirely forgetting why she had come to school in the first place. “Recently, my older daughter, SeeU’s sister Uni, has been treating me the same way. Isn’t that cruel?” Right afterwards, Galaco quickly realized that she had went off. “I’m sorry,” she began to apologize. “I didn’t mean to grumble.”

Mayu simply shook her head. “Why doesn’t anyone understand? Being a mother is the hardest.”

“You’re right,” Galaco nodded and agreed.

“Dahee hasn’t realized that you are so worried about her, right?”

“I don’t know what to do. She has always been so carefree.”

“But, if she tries, she can accomplish much more,” Mayu informs Galaco. “If she is willing, she can definitely get into a private high school.”

“Sensei,” Galaco has been deeply touched by the words coming out of Mayu. “Thank you so much,” she said and bowed. “This is the first time I have heard such things from a teacher.”

“As an education professor, I will do everything I can,” Mayu professionally informed the woman. “Let’s both work hard for Dahee’s sake.”

“Yes!” Galaco agreed, standing up and bowing. “Thank you for everything. Please keep taking care of my daughter.”

\---   
“Sorry for keeping you waiting!” Galaco yelled to the seventeen other mothers who were standing by the school gate entrance. Everyone was smiling and happily gossiping to one another. Once Galaco joined them, they all continued chatting, and together, they walked out of the school grounds.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the school, eighteen students were watching their mothers leave so happily. They were all puzzled and confused.

“No way!” Ann commented.  
“What is going on?” Chika asked.  
“Maybe they talked sense to Mayu,” Al suggested.  
“Like I will believe that,” Tonio remarked. “They look way too happy.”  
“Please don’t tell me SeeU was right,” Luka complained.  
“Hi, Ms. Akuma,” SeeU shyly and quietly whispered, and yet it was loud enough for all eighteen students to hear. All of them turned to their right, and Mayu had just entered the rooftop.

“It seems there are still some people who can’t picture it,” Mayu spoke loud enough for all of them to hear. “Why did your parents come to my side so easily?” She asked as she walked closer to her students who were not in her classroom. “That’s because I understand your parents much better than you do,” she answered the question, regardless of whether anyone was going to answer or not. “Your parents just want your grades to rise and for you to not cause any trouble. If they see that the homeroom teacher is concerned about the children, they will be satisfied.”

Turning around, Mayu continued to speak. “Basically, people just care about themselves.” Pausing for a second, Mayu went on again. “Well, it’s the same all over Japan.” Ending her speech, Mayu turned again and glanced at all of her students who were present. There were faces that showed no emotion, and there were glares heading towards her.

“If you understand, you will not do unnecessary things, and you will fulfill your parents’ expectations.” After speaking once more, Mayu walked away, all of the students staring at her, even after Mayu had left the roof. With no choice left, all eighteen of them slowly fled from the room, retreating back to the classroom. They all realized that no matter what they do, they were trapped in Mayu’s rules.


	16. Silent Showers of the Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having woken up late the past two days, Gumi rushes to school after waking up under the impression she was late... only to realize she's in school an hour early. As the rain falls and three more students join her, a few secrets slip out.

Shortly after waking up due to the soft sound of drizzling, Gumi immediately dressed herself up. Grabbing an umbrella, she left her home, rushing to school and not wanting to be late. Thanks to her morning of the past two days, Gumi quickly assumed that she woke up late again. It was not until she had reached the school grounds when she decided to check her phone and see what time it was.

8:02AM.

Sighing in complete embarrassment, Gumi slowly walked to the school, changed her shoes at the shoe locker, and then she headed to the classroom. As expected, she was the first person to show up. It was too early for even representatives to arrive. Sitting at her desk, Gumi placed her belongings away and grabbed her phone out again. Until one other person showed up, Gumi can entertain herself by sending messages to her friends. Seeing Leon’s name on her contact list, Gumi quickly pressed the message button and texted away.

To: Leon-kun  
Hurry up! School is so boring at 8 in the morning! I need company! Don’t even ask why I’m here early. I thought I was going to be late again the second I woke up ^_^;

Pressing the “send” button, Gumi went to Kokone’s name and quickly texted a message to her.

To: Kokone-chan  
I did it, Kokone! I’m not late to school! I’m there right now! Be proud of me! Hurry up! I’m lonely here!

Once she hit “send,” Gumi went to look at her contacts, which was not very much, and then Gumi spotted “Miku-chan” on her contacts list. The day before school started, Gumi was at the karaoke bar with this “Miku-chan” and the latter had asked Gumi to contact her the moment neither of the two were not busy just to see how Gumi was doing at school.

Perhaps, now is a good time to inform Miku on how school has been. It is only the Friday of the second week of school after all, halfway through April. Gumi decided that she will send a message to Miku. Before she could even press the “send message” button, however, Kokone had sent one to Gumi, and she read it.

From: Kokone  
Why should I be proud of you? You are at school at 8:07 in the morning. Even I don’t go to school that early! I’m still eating breakfast, for heaven’s sakes! Well, I’ll see you in way over half an hour. I’m not going to text while eating and walking.

Gumi felt her eyebrows twitching. This girl had asked her to not come to school late, and that was exactly what Gumi did. In response, she is getting scolded for coming early. Sighing, Gumi decided she will bother Kokone about it during break. Now, it was back to sending Miku a message, except Leon had responded back to Gumi as well.

From: Leon  
I’ll be there in fifteen to twenty minutes. Don’t get too lonely. See you in a bit!

‘At least Leon was being nice,” Gumi bitterly thought. Why couldn’t Kokone send such a short, nice response like that? Well, Gumi decided that she should send a message to Miku without any interruptions. Of course, life did not work like that.

“You’re here early,” an androgynous voice spoke out. Gumi quickly turned around, and Flower was standing by the entrance, staring at Gumi.

“Yeah, I woke up too early and thought I was going to be late,” Gumi informed her embarrassingly. Flower shrugged and placed her belongings on her desk, the representative desk. Flower went out in the hallway and returned a minute later with a filled watering can.

“Flower-chan,” Gumi called out.

“Hanazono-san,” Flower answered. Gumi looked at her confusingly and Flower noticed. “We’re not friends, so call me Hanazono-san.”

“That’s too long,” Gumi complained, but Flower did not care. “How about Hana-chan?” Flower paused and glanced at the bespectacled girl.

“I guess that is fine,” Flower finally answered and began to water the plants in the classroom. Gumi stood up and went behind Flower.

“Hana-chan, how come your parents named you the English translation of Hana?” Gumi began to harass Flower with questions.

“I don’t know,” was Flower’s answer.

“Isn’t it a normal word in English and not a name while Hana is a word and a name too here?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m not interested in the English language.”

“Is Leon annoying you when you do chores with you?”

“You talk a lot.” Flower was now hoping for the girl with green hair and red glasses to stop talking for a moment.

“I’m aware of that. Even Kokone told me I’m a nuisance because of that.”

Flower facepalmed. “Seriously, people who think that girls who wear glasses are quiet nerds should meet you.”

“That stereotype is annoying. People see me and assume that I would be all shy and quiet as well as a know-it-all. Also, my eyesight is not that bad. I only need glasses to read words.” Gumi then removed her glasses from her face and stared at Flower. “You look perfectly fine. No fuzziness or blurriness or anything.”

“Are you that bored that you have to go talk to me while I am doing chores?”

“Leon isn’t here yet.” Then Gumi remembered what she had wanted to do. “Oh, I still need to send Miku-chan a message!”

“Miku-chan?” Flower asked and immediately regretted saying it out loud.

“Miku-chan!” Gumi began to explain who Miku was. “Miku is a friend I made at a karaoke bar two years ago. She is an adult with super long teal hair that she often wears in twin tails, and her eyes are the same color.” At this point, Flower tuned Gumi out, although the girl was not aware of it and continued talking, placing her glasses back on her face. “Miku has a nice body, although her chest is pretty small. She also has a sweet personality, though she likes to pull my cheeks whenever I say something embarrassing right in front of her. Also, Miku has a great singing voice. Originally, when she talks, it nasal and annoying, but when she sings, she can make it sound less nasally and sweeter and stronger.”

“You’re here early, too,” Flower spoke, interrupting Gumi’s extended one-sided conversation. “I hope you don’t talk as much as that girl over there.” Gumi overheard and turned to see who was there.

“Good morning, SeeU-chan!” Gumi cheered upon see a familiar girl with long, wavy hair decorated with cat ears. SeeU simply waved at the energetic girl.

“Good morning,” SeeU calmly said.

“Is there something you need?” Flower asked. “Or were you as dumb as her over there?”

“So mean, Hana-chan, you’re just like Kokone,” Gumi bitterly commented, though both girls ignored it.

“Um,” SeeU began and walked towards Flower. “I was thinking that I should help you out,” she answered. When she was right next to her, Flower turned to stare at her.

Gumi quickly stood up. “That sounds like a good idea!” She cheered, walking towards the two girls. “SeeU and I can help too!”

Ignoring Gumi’s words, Flower turned to the doorway. “Ah, it’s Mayu.” Before Gumi could even turn or ask, SeeU immediately pushed Gumi out of her way and fell to the floor, hiding behind a desk. Gumi stared at the blonde in disbelief. ‘Is she that scared of Mayu!?’ Even SeeU was shaking in fear.

“You should stop if you are that scared,” Flower warned SeeU before she walked away. Calming down, SeeU stood up and followed Flower. Gumi, with nothing better to do, followed the two girls out of the room. Flower placed the watering can back to its place and went to grab a dry rag. As she was about to place it near the faucet, SeeU began to speak.

“What did Mayu tell your mother?”

Turning the water on and wetting the cloth, Flower answered. “My mother did not come.” Flower turned the faucet off and ringed the wet rag.

“Why?” SeeU asked in surprise. She had thought that everyone’s mothers had came.

“No idea,” was all Flower answered to the girl. Flower returned to the room, both SeeU and Gumi following her. “She probably doesn’t care about what happens to me,” Flower told SeeU.

“That can’t be right,” SeeU told her. Flower had stopped right in front of Mayu’s podium and placed the rag on it. SeeU stood on the opposite side, facing Flower. Gumi stopped right in front of the doorway, wondering what SeeU meant. “There is no such thing as a parent who doesn’t care about their kids.”

Flower stared at SeeU with an emotionless face, and all energy was sucked out of Gumi’s body when those words echoed in her mind.

“You’re a bit strange,” Flower told SeeU.

“Eh, why?” SeeU asked.

“Forget it,” Flower told her. “Although, you are not as strange as that girl in the glasses,” Flower concluded. She had expected a remark or some more nonsense from Gumi, but instead, there was silence. Even when SeeU placed her belongings on her desk, Gumi did not say a word. She just stood there, right in front of the doorway, not even making a single movement. Flower was wiping the podium clean, and when she finished, she turned to Gumi. The girl was facing the floor and had not left her spot. SeeU walked up to Flower again, and it appeared she was about to speak until another voice and person entered.

“Good morning!” Leon cheered, walking right passed Gumi and passing through SeeU and Flower. “You two are here early too. I knew Gumi was here though,” he told them.

“You’re the one who is late!” SeeU scolded him. “Don’t make Hanazono-san do everything. Hurry up and clean!”

“Sheesh,” Leon grumbled, taking off his poncho. “I was about to help and there you go getting angry at me.” He placed his poncho and other belongings at a desk nearby and went out to get a rag to help Flower.

“Hey,” SeeU called out to Leon, slightly following him. “What did Mayu say to your parents?”

“Parents?” Leon asked. “I don’t have parents. I only have my aunt and my little sister.”

“Oh?” SeeU was puzzled and stunned.

“It’s way better than having parents who always go after you,” Leon told her as he entered the room. “Although, Yukari always asks me what I am going to do with my life whenever she finds out that I have a bad grade. In the end, Yukari tells Rana, my sister, and I that we control our lives, so she is very lenient with grades. Furthermore,” Leon continued. “Our class is horrible. If it doesn’t change, everyone will be doing everything Mayu says.”

Flower had moved on to wiping the floors, only to pause and look up to Leon after he finished his statement. SeeU paused, rethinking on Leon’s words, and then she recalled a conversation she had with her sister Uni a few nights before.

\---   
“So you feel guilty because she was made to do chores after she stood up to you?” Uni asked her younger sister. The two girls were in Uni’s room, and Uni was lying on her bed, already dressed in her pajamas, while SeeU leaned on the floor next to the bed, still wearing her seifuku.

SeeU nodded. “Onee-chan, what should I do?”

“There is nothing to worry about,” Uni told her. “Plus, you don’t have to do chores anymore.”

“I still want to do something for Hanazono-san, though.”

“What if she gets her parents to complain?” Uni suggested.

“She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would do that,” SeeU murmured.

“Then,” Uni began. “There is only one thing you can do then.”

“Hm?” SeeU leaned towards her sister, curious to what it was.

“Defeat Mayu and make her stop with the chores and the stupid rules.”

“That’s impossible,” SeeU complained.

“Nothing will happen if you give up so fast,” Uni told her. “Also, you are trying what I view as impossible already.”

“Eh?” SeeU was confused.

“I tell you there is no point in making our parents get along since they argue a lot the past few years, yet you try to make them get along,” Uni told her. “If I tell you there is no point in trying to stop Mayu’s rules, will you give up?”Before SeeU could open her mouth, Uni grabbed SeeU’s workbook that was on her bed. “This question, and this and this,” Uni grabbed SeeU’s attention to the book. “They are wrong.”SeeU groaned and rolled to the floor, complaining even more than she already had.

\---  
Kneeling down to the floor next to Flower, SeeU spoke up. “My sister told me something.”

“Hm?” Leon walked towards the two girls, and Gumi finally looked up, taking a step closer to them.

“She said there is nothing left but to defeat Mayu and make her stop with the stupid rules,” SeeU informed them. Leon pondered over the words before it made sense in his head.

“Oh, I see,” Leon spoke up. “Offense is the best defense!” SeeU nodded in agreement.

“How are we going to do it?” Flower asked.

“How are we going to do it,” Leon mimicked Flower. “Yeah, how are we going to do it?”

“Yeah,” SeeU trailed off, looking up to Leon. After a few seconds, Flower looked up at Leon.

“Yeah,” Flower mimicked the two.

“Why are you looking at me?” Leon asked.

“Because you’re useful,” Gumi finally spoke up after her unusual silence. Unlike how she spoke so carefree earlier, she sounded very serious. “If anything, we’ll be using you to help us stop Mayu.” SeeU and Flower nodded.

“Wait,” Leon paused to register what Gumi had just said. “Why me!?”


	17. A Devil Inside Her Sweet Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Assemblies never go smoothly...

“Everyone, please remember this.” The assembly on how intruders should be handled was held in the gym at noon. All the ninth graders were seated on the floor, the teachers stood at the sides and the principal and vice-principal stood in the front, making the announcement. “If a dangerous person enters the school,” Ueki spoke in the microphone. “You’ll hear the following over the PA system,” Ueki handed the microphone to Akiko, who accepted it and recited what the words will be if such a situation would happen.

“A big package has arrived,” Akiko spoke professionally, and she repeated herself. She handed the microphone back to Ueki, and he continued to speak.

“If you hear this announcement, listen carefully to your teacher’s instructions.”

In the crowd of students, SeeU sat by her friends near the front, listening dully to the announcement. As much as she likes Ann, Prima, and Chika, SeeU would rather be near Leon, in case he had come up with a plan to defeat Mayu. Of course, her friends were judgmental and believed that Leon was not worth spending time with. In the back of the group of students, Leon was next to Flower, and Gumi and Kokone were in front of them.

“Hey,” Leon whispered, grabbing Flower’s and Gumi’s attention. Kokone heard him as well but decided to ignore him. “I thought of a plan against Mayu.” Kokone quickly turned. Forget about ignoring him.

“Against Mayu?” Kokone asked in curiousity. “What do you mean?”

“What is the plan?” Gumi asked, ignoring her friend. “Also, couldn’t you wait for SeeU?”

“Oh,” Kokone sighed. “It has to do with her then.”

Leon ignored Kokone and Gumi’s words and went on. “We’ll throw a ball at her from behind. She’s old, so she’s probably out of shape.”

“That’s no good,” Gumi scolded him. “Also, no way is Mayu old.”

“Mayu is in her thirties, soon to be in her forties,” Flower enlightened the girl. Gumi stared at her in disbelief. There was no way Mayu, who appeared to be so youthful and childlike, was close to being forty years of age! Mayu, dressed in a red and black seifuku with ribbons decorated and even a bow on her head, appeared to be the same age as her own students!

“Then,” Leon went to explain his next plan. “We’ll say something to the media. ‘I’ve got a prize for you. Will you claim it?’”

“Leon, firstly, this is Mayu we are talking about,” Kokone began to explain to the boy. “I doubt she will fall for something so foolish like that.”

“Then there is no choice but fight her straight on?” Leon asked.

“No violence,” Gumi told him.

“Secondly,” Kokone grabbed their attention. “Why are you going against Mayu? Her rules are fine.”

“What can we do then?” Leon asked.

“Hey, don’t ignore me,” Kokone scolded him. She turned to Gumi. “What happened?”

“SeeU suggested that the only way to go against Mayu is to stop her,” Gumi enlightened her.

“No wonder,” Kokone said. “SeeU, she is friends with the girl who hates Mayu. Of course, if it’s for Ann, she will go against her.”

“I don’t think it’s about Ann,” Gumi told the brunette.

“What makes you think that?”

“SeeU has her own reasons to go against Mayu.”

“What reasons?”

Before Gumi could remind Kokone about the first day of school, the incident where SeeU was made a rep because she had no pencil, and no one still had yet to find out who broke her pencils, Flower tapped on Gumi’s knee. When she looked down on it, Flower pointed to a direction. Gumi followed the direction, and Kokone and Leon mimicked, and they all saw that Mayu was staring at them. The four students quickly turned to face the principal, unwilling to get in trouble with Mayu.

“Next up,” Akiko announced. “Ms. Sakine and Mr. Hiyama will demonstrate on how intruders will be handled.” As she finished speaking, Kiyoteru, holding a restraining rod, walked to the back of the crowd. All eyes were turned to the other side of the gym to watch the demonstration. For seconds, nothing had happened.

Then the doors opened. Meiko disguised herself in the look of a criminal and arrived to the gym. Her hand held a cardboard cut resembling a knife. As she slowly walked towards the crowd of teenagers, Meiko created sounds that typical criminals would make. The students could not help but feel a slight bit fearful. They knew this was just a demonstration, but the idea of having one of the toughest teachers acting out the criminal did not go well in their mind. A handful looked at Meiko and quickly believed it really was a criminal. As Meiko got closer, some students began to crawl or stand back, nearing the principal.

Then, Meiko suddenly advanced to the crowd, and Kiyoteru used his rod to keep her from getting near the students. At this point, Mayu began to walk near the front of the crowd, but no one bothered to witness her as they were engaged into the scene right in front of them. Kiyoteru had continued to restrain Meiko, but the woman had back up. When Kiyoteru went to advance on her, he had lost his footing. Slipping to the floor, Kiyoteru had collapsed. With him out of the way, Meiko chose to advance to the crowd once more, adding more fear to the students. As she got closer, everyone began to retreat further back. Some had forgotten that this was all an act.

Unexpectedly, Akiko felt the microphone get taken away from her hand. When she turned to see who took it, Mayu held it close to her face and made her announcement.

“Year 3, class 3, return to the classroom.”

“What are you saying?” Akiko asked in shock. “This isn’t over yet.”

“There is no need to show this nonsense to the students, especially when half of then could not separate this from reality,” Mayu coldly informed her superior.

“What are you saying?” Akiko asked bitterly. She was not going to let Mayu humiliate her once again. “We have instructions from the school board to guide the students through this.”

Ueki stepped forward. “We also received requests from the guardians to make sure we have all safety measures in place,” he informed her.

“Basically,” Mayu began. “You two just want to inform to the Education Committee and to the guardians that you carried this out,” Mayu coldly called out on her bosses. “That way, if something does happen, you won’t be held responsible.”

“What are you saying?” Ueki asked, but Mayu quickly ignored him.

“This performance will serve only to scare these growing children.” Mayu sternly glared at Ueki and Akiko. “Emergency training is something that teachers should lament on and practice by themselves with no one else present.” While she spoke, an idea came to Leon’s head. Mayu turned to her class. “We are going,” she announced before she turned to leave the gym.

“Sensei!” Leon cried out. Mayu turned to him. “If the time comes, how will you protect us?” He asked proudly. All students turned to stare at Mayu, who kept her gaze on her male student. “Please tell us about your plan,” he commanded.

“He’s right,” Akiko spoke. “If you say that, you must have something thought out,” she arrogantly told Mayu. Akiko allowed her disfondness of Mayu to grow a bit, but she did not care. Akiko hoped to witness Mayu at a moment of weakness. Everyone continued to look at Mayu.

“As you wish,” Mayu simply answered. She walked up to back of the crowd and stood near Kiyoteru, who had gotten up after his fall during Mayu’s conversation with Ueki and Akiko. Kiyoteru extended his arms, offering the rod in his hands. “No thanks,” Mayu told him. “I don’t need something so useless.” Kiyoteru nodded and backed up a bit. Akiko had walked right next to Kiyoteru with a smile on her face. She believed this would be great to humiliate Mayu for once.

“Ms. Sakine, please do it for real,” she commanded the woman.

“Alright,” Meiko told her boss. She turned to Mayu. “Here I go,” she confidently told Mayu.

“An intruder would not say something like that,” Mayu told her seriously.

“Alright,” Meiko responded. In a second, Meiko quickly advanced to Mayu. On she got close enough, Mayu extended her arm out and roughly pushed the taller woman’s head back. Taking a step back, Meiko recollected herself and attempted to advance again. When Meiko extended her arms in a stabbing position, holding her fake knife in both hands, Mayu quickly grabbed her chest and pushed her back with enough force.

Collecting herself again, Meiko advanced to Mayu again, and the smaller woman grabbed her arm and spinned herself away from her. Meiko turned and attempted to scare Mayu, but the latter was unfazed entirely. Mayu kept a cold look on Meiko, unbothered at all by all that has happened. Meiko chose to advance once more, only to realize that was a mistake. Mayu pulled her and held her head in between her arms, her other hand holding the woman’s arm. Mayu’s grip was tight enough for Meiko to release her hold on the cardboard knife.

Then Mayu released Meiko and very quickly, she picked her leg up and jabbed it into the woman’s stomach. Meiko fell to the ground, near the students. All of them were watching the scene intensely.

“Hey, Kokone, did you see that?” Gumi asked.

“Saw what?” Kokone was interested in the fight occuring and wondered what Gumi was asking.

“Mayu’s underwear is really cute.”

Kokone turned to glare at Gumi. “I don’t care,” she harshly whispered to her and resumed to watching the fight.

Meiko quickly stood up and glared at Mayu. Her anger was beginning to boil. She had been nicknamed a tough fighter as a teacher, so for a smaller, frail looking woman to go and easily beat her.

“Mayu,” she harshly whispered before she advanced at her again. “What the hell!?” Meiko was not willing to accept defeat yet. Once Meiko got close to her, Mayu grabbed her arm. Suddenly, Mayu grabbed Meiko and lifted her off of the ground. The students watched as if it was all in slow motion. Mayu had Meiko on the air in what felt like an eternity but was really in just a millisecond. Then May threw Meiko to the ground.

Meiko began to wince in pain. Everyone was stunned. No one has ever beaten Meiko. Mayu did not just end it there. Walking up to the fallen lady, Mayu bent down to the woman’s face. Grabbing a small item from her thigh pocket, Mayu held a pocket knife towards Meiko’s throat. Upon eyeing it, Meiko began to pant in fear. Everyone stared at them in disbelief.

“It’s for self-defense,” Mayu announced. Looking up to Akiko, she asked, “Shall I continue?”

Akiko was too stunned by the turn of events. She had truly believed that Mayu would chicken out or even better, because Meiko was so strong, she would beat Meiko. Akiko had never expected Mayu to be heavily tough, especially with her appearance strongly resembling a child.

“No need,” Akiko simply answered, still in shock. Standing up from Meiko, Mayu began to walk away. Meiko held her throat in fear of what had happened the past few seconds. Akiko kept her gaze at where Mayu was once at. Kiyoteru couldn’t move a single inch. Ueki simply attempted to shrug off the entire scene.

“Class 3-3,” Mayu announced. “We’re going.”


	18. I Know All of Your Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu tells her class once more that she knows all of their secrets. To make sure they are aware of it, she reveals the past of one of her students when they speak against her.

“Everyone, open your eyes.”

In the classroom of grade nine, class 3, twenty four students sat quietly in their seats as their teacher, Akuno Mayu, began to speak with her emotionless, feminine voice. “No matter how much you disobey me, it is all useless.” Mayu looked at each and every teenager in the room. “I know everything about you. Everything you are thinking, things you hide and do secretly from your parents, all the secrets you don’t want your friends to know.”

Most students could not believe a single word their teacher has said. A few did, especially Prima and Chika. If Mayu could reveal much information about the two girls on the first day of school, then she was not kidding when she had said she knows everything about them.

“If you don’t believe me, I can prove it,” Mayu announced, a small smile appearing on her face. The look of doubt was beginning to disappear from the students. Only Luka and Iroha remain doubtful of Mayu’s words, and the teacher was well aware of it. Mayu began to walk up to the area where the two girls sat at.

“Megurine Luka,” Mayu spoke up clearly as she continued walking towards her. Her hand began to dig in a small bag she was carrying with her. “What would your parents think if they found out you often skip cram school to hang out with a high school boy you were dating?” Taking out a camera, Mayu turned it on and showed it to the pink haired girl. Luka stared into the camera and saw a photo of her next to a taller man she knew very well. Her arm was linked with his, and she was drinking a mocha coffee he had bought for her. This all had happened the previous night.

“What’s this?” Luka quietly asked. How did Mayu knew this? Luka was heavily stunned. Mayu turned to face the irritated Iroha.

“Nekomura Iroha,” Mayu began as she put away the camera and grabbed a recorder out of the bag. “During the Spring break before school began, you were talking down on your parents.” Mayu pressed a button on the recorder.

“My dad is very stupid. He will buy anything I want and do everything I ask him to do. My mom is a huge pain, though. She is always nagging me about my bad grades. People like her should just die.”

Iroha’s hands slowly clenched tightly. She kept her mouth shut. Iroha couldn’t believe that Mayu not only heard all of that, but even recorded it. How embarrassed Iroha felt when not only she, but the entire class heard it. Mayu returned to the front of the room. Placing her bag on the podium, she put away the recorder inside it. Everyone kept their gaze on Mayu. As much as most of them did not want to, they had to accept the fact that Mayu practically knew everything about them and would not hesitate to reveal it.

“Sensei,” Leon called out.

“What is it?” Mayu asked.

“You did not have to go and reveal their secrets like that,” Leon attempted to speak in a polite manner.

“Would it be okay if I reveal your secrets then?” Mayu asked.

“I don’t have any secrets that would embarrass me if you reveal them to the class.” Silence came right after that sentence. Very slowly, Gumi felt a feeling of nausea coming. She kept her gaze on Mayu and wondered if maybe, she knew what Leon had went through in his early childhood. If that was the secret she was talking about, surely, she wouldn’t reveal it in public. There was no way Mayu would be that cruel, or so Gumi had hoped.

“You and your sister are raised by your aunt,” Mayu began. “What are your parents doing?” Gumi’s eyes slowly widened. Mayu wouldn’t dare reveal that, would she?

“No idea,” Leon began and he stood. “I honestly wouldn’t mind knowing that either.” Gumi turned to him and very badly, she hoped that Mayu did not know a single thing. Oh, how wrong she was.

“Your mother is probably flirting with some no good man,” Mayu began. Leon’s eyebrows rose up. It couldn’t be. Mayu couldn’t possibly know it, right? “When you were little, she would leave you at a nursery and go around with other men. At one point, she finally left and abandoned you and your sister.”

Leon began to look down, and Gumi was stunned. The only people in the classroom who knew about Leon’s past were Leon himself and Gumi. Even Kokone did not know a thing. How Mayu found out was something Gumi would most likely never know.

“From that time, your father began to drink and gamble. In addition, he committed some violent actions. If I recall, he is still in prison.” Everyone began to look at each other. This was more than enough to give them the message to not even bother trying to disobey Mayu again. When Leon did not say anything, everyone but Gumi turned to stare at him, wondering if Mayu’s words really were true. Gumi kept her gaze at Mayu, still shocked that she knew. Mayu left her spot at the front of the room and walked towards Leon.

“Surely,” she spoke again. “Your father had used violence against you and your sister too.” Leon clenched his jaw, unable to register that Mayu practically knew his early childhood. “He said things like ‘You are not my child. Your boy-lusting mother must have had you and that little girl with some other man.’” SeeU turned to Leon, and she noticed his hands were clenched tightly to his clothes. She wanted Mayu to stop. Kokone couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew her friend’s parents abandoned him, but she was unaware that it was like this. Gumi was no longer facing Mayu. Her head was staring at her lap, and her hands were tightly holding on to her blue skirt.

“Didn’t your mom tell you this?” Mayu asked. “It’s all your fault that my life is ruined. I never wanted you or your sister. If it weren’t for you, I would have been happy.” Right after, Mayu placed her arm around Leon, her hand closing on his shoulder. “Should I tell everyone why you act so carefree around them?” She asked, a hint of malice evident on her voice. Even though Leon never answered, Mayu continued anyway. “You don’t want anyone to know that you hate being alone.”

Very slowly, Leon sat back on his seat. Mayu kept her arm over him. Gumi chose now to look up from her lap and turn to Leon, and she saw a single tear rolling on his cheek. “When you think of the future, you worry and want to cry,” Mayu continued. “You want someone to hold you. You want someone to spoil you. You want to cry for help, but since you can’t do anything, you pretend to be strong even though you are a sissy.” Mayu removed her arm, and she took two steps, standing right in front of his desk.

“Simply put, you are running away from reality.” Mayu looked down on the boy. “The truth is you are scared and you can’t stand it. It is exactly like your parents have said. Nobody likes you. In the future, no one will love you. In fact, in this class, do you think there is even one person who likes you?”

Everyone kept their silence. No one even knew what to say. Very badly, SeeU wanted to admit that she like the boy, but her friends did not care for him, and she was deeply afraid of what Mayu would do. Kokone also feared of the consequences if she dared admit to being friends with Leon. Flower was about to stand up, but after making one single movement, Mayu turned to stare at her. Realizing Mayu wanted no one to speak and that nothing good would actually come out of talking back to her, Flower slowly retreated to her seat.

“Enough already!”

Gumi screamed out, and in shock, everyone, even Mayu, turned to her. The girl was well aware that she may actually get in trouble for this from Mayu, but she did not care at all. Gumi absolutely refused to keep her mouth shut and stay seated when her own friend was just ridiculed like that.

Gumi turned to face Mayu, and she had a glare burning with a deep vengeance.


	19. Leon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi stands up for her friend and speaks against Mayu while beginning to resent her teacher for revealing her friend's personal life to the entire class without his consent.

“Hey, aunty,” a small eight year old girl with green hair and red glasses looked up to an adult woman with violet hair.

“Hm? What is it, Gumi?” She asked while taking out paper for her little niece to draw on.

“Leon is always so gloomy when I see him at school,” Gumi began. “I tried to ask why, but he is always pushing me away.” She followed the woman who reached a small girl with pink hair. The woman bent down and gave the little girl paper.

“Here you go, Rana,” the woman began. “Feel free to color as much as you want,” she smiled. Little Rana smiled brightly and, grabbing a nearby crayon, she began to doodle. The woman stood and turned to face Gumi. “Did Leon ever tell you about his parents?” Gumi shook her head. “Well,” she spoke again and sat down on a nearby couch. “Stand here, Gumi.” The young girl did as she was told and leaned on the armchair, standing close to the woman.

“Gumi, thank you for looking out for my nephew ever since he transferred to your school two months ago,” the woman began. “Before I had to raise him and Rana, he didn’t have a happy life.” She saw Gumi’s face turning to confusion. “Because you are such a kind person to Leon, I will tell you why he is the way he is,” she spoke again. “But…”

“But?” Gumi asked.

“Promise me you will not tell anyone, including Leon,” the woman spoke again, holding out her pinky finger. Gumi took out her pinky and linked it with the woman.

“Yubikiri~” Gumi spoke happily.

“Yeah, yubikiri,” the woman said.

\---  
Gumi kept a fierce glare at her teacher. “Surely,” she began. “Leon is idiotic, but he is also very kind. A few days ago, when I was about to be late, he helped me by distracting you.” When she talked, she found herself slowly breaking into a few tears. Ignoring them, she continued talking while staring at her teacher. “When SeeU was a representative and was going to be late for dance class, he let her leave early, and he told her he would finish up so she wouldn’t be late.”

‘How did she know?’ SeeU wondered, then she came to the conclusion that Leon might have told her. They were friends, after all, and friends do tell each other such small things like that.

Gumi stood up, and she kept on staring at Mayu who stared right back at her. “Back in third grade, when Kokone was crying because a student pushed her and dirtied her new clothes, he helped her up and tried to clean the dirt off for her.” Kokone began to recall that memory, and she couldn’t help but smile slightly. When she first met him, Leon was never smiling and looked very lifeless. That appearance had scared Kokone away, but Gumi continued to talk to him. Even after Gumi broke that shell and made him friendlier, Kokone was still afraid to talk to him until that day happened.

“In fifth grade, when I was being bullied and one of my shoes disappeared, he helped me search for it until late at night.” At this point, Gumi couldn’t keep her glare anymore, and more tears were rolling down. Regardless, she continued to stand up for her own friend in front of the entire class. “In sixth grade, I tripped and fell during a relay race. Before I could even think, he yelled at me to continue doing my best with a smile.” Gumi’s lips wavered as she spoke on to Mayu.

“You didn’t know that, did you?” She asked, and Mayu kept her gaze on her student. “Leon has many good points that you do not know about. There are a lot of nice things about Leon. It doesn’t matter what kind of people his father and mother are. Leon is a great person. That’s why I like him. That’s why he is my friend. I like him!” 

Finally, Gumi stopped, and she continued her stare on Mayu. A few seconds of silence rolled by until Mayu slowly took a step away from her spot towards Gumi. Taking another step, Mayu advanced on to the green haired girl.

“If that is so,” Mayu began, as emotionless as ever. “Then the two of you, please be representatives.” Gumi’s face never wavered as Mayu spoke. “I said it before. I will not forgive those who disobey me.” Mayu turned her head towards Flower. “That is enough for you.” Mayu then turned to the front of the room.

“Isn’t that nice, everyone?” She asked nonchalantly. “Surely, this whole year, those two can do the chores for all of us.”

~~~

“Hey, Leon?” Gumi tugged on the boy’s sleeves. School had came to an end, and the weather has grown chilly. Leon turned to face her with an emotionless look. Gumi smiled and showed him what she was hiding behind her back. In her hand was a picture of a blonde hair boy surrounded by trees, flowers, and two other people. One had purple hair and was taller than the two other people, and the other had pink hair and was small. In all three faces, there was a smile.

Hesitating, Leon accepted the picture and examined it more. After seconds, Gumi saw a small smile spreading on his face. “Thank you,” she heard him murmur.

“Leon, you should smile more,” she cheered. He looked at her in confusion, and his face fell again. Gumi then dropped her smile and held his wrist.

“Leon,” she spoke again. “Don’t be gloomy forever. Even though you don’t have a father or mother who love you, Yukari is always there for you, and she wishes for you to be happy for the rest of your life.” Leon slowly looked up to her, his eyes slowly widening. “And your little sister, Rana, she won’t remember any pain she had dealt with. She needs an older brother who will set an example on how to live life to the fullest. Also,” she paused and looked down. After gulping, Gumi looked up and stared at his blue orbs.

“I’m here for you, Leon. Always and forever.”

That did it. Very suddenly, before Gumi could comprehend, she was taken into a tight hug by the boy in front of her. Leon began to fall into a sobbing fit, and Gumi held him. After he recovered, he wiped his eyes, and smiling, he thanked her.

Even if his parents did not want him, he still had an aunt who loves him and a little sister who will grow to look up to him. Then there was his friend, who will always stay by his side.

~~~

Leon swept the floors, and Gumi cleaned the counters. In the first floor, the students were leaving the building while Leon and Gumi did their job. The two committed to their work in silence. Leon felt deep gratitude for Gumi, while the girl found herself despising Mayu on a deep level. Most likely, it will take a long time until Gumi forgave Mayu for what she did.

“I will tell you something,” Leon paused at his sweeping and spoke. Gumi stopped and turned to Leon. “I never thought anyone would like me until I met you back in the second grade.” After pausing for several seconds, he continued. “I haven’t thought about crying or being saved.” He took a small breath and then continued again. “I’m not just a sissy pretending to be strong.” Then he turned to face the bespectacled girl. “Thank you.” When he caught Gumi’s look, he asked, “What is it?”

“Honestly, you sound so earnest, it was creeping me out for a moment,” Gumi spoke with a small smile.

Leon smiled widely. “Gumi, Rana has been begging for you.”

“Oh, really?”

“Come over already, Gumi!”

“I need to call Miku-chan, though.”

“Hey,” Leon began to pout and brought out his puppet, bringing it to Gumi’s face. “Come over at my house!” He spoke in a high pitched voice.

“Why do you still play with that thing!?” Gumi began to walk away as fast as she can, stepping out of the school building. She didn’t even bother to grab a jacket or umbrella as the rain softly hit her face. “You’re fourteen years old! It’s creepy when you play with that doll!” She yelled while removing her glasses.

“And you wildly glomping people is not weird?” Leon asked cheerfully. The two continue to walk in the rain. Leon continued to chase Gumi as she continued to run away.

“I can’t hear you with the rain coming down! Speak louder!”

~~~

Standing right at the entrance, Miki stared at the two as they go farther away from the school. Holding an umbrella in her hand, she sighed. No matter how nice Gumi had been to her, Miki felt that Gumi was only doing so out of pity. Then again, Miki also believed that Gumi really meant it wh  
en she had said all those kind words to her. Sighing again, she opened her umbrella and stepped outside.

The rain made contact with her umbrella as she kept walking. Miki looked down on the ground, not bothering to look forward. Miki knew where she was going, and she was sure everyone else had left. Surely, no one will stop her, and she hoped no one did. Miki wanted to breathe in peace without anyone harassing her.

Unexpectedly, her umbrella had collided with another. Miki looked up and was about to apologize to whoever she crashed into, only to witness her own teacher standing right in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” Miki quickly spoke in shock and fear. Ignoring the apology, Mayu spoke calmly.

“Don’t forget, Furukawa-san,” Mayu began. “If those two apologize, the next two people to do chores are you and Jody-san because you two have the lowest grades. Knowing very well how you two get along, Jody-san will use that as a method of torturing you.”

“I’m sorry,” Miki repeated herself and looked down, and she quickly thought of having to do chores with her worst enemy. It was an unfriendly vision she had.

Mayu took a step forward, coming closer to the girl. “Do you remember our conversation last week, that Saturday night right in front of your house?” Miki looked up at her teacher. “You don’t have a single friend in class. Why not be friends with me? There are a lot of benefits.”

Miki continued to stare at her teacher while a small, malicious smirk grew in Mayu’s face. The two stood in the rain, protected by their umbrellas.


	20. Third Week of Hell Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a school event approaches, Mayu takes it upon herself to teach her class a dance for them to perform during the ceremony.

“Stand,” Gumi announced once Mayu stood in front of her podium. All twenty four students in the classroom stood up. “Bow,” she announced the next part of gorei, and everyone bowed while greeting “Good morning.” “Sit,” Gumi ended gorei, and every student sat down in their seats.

“Representatives, what are you doing?” Mayu asked strictly. “The calendar is crooked,” she announced while her head turned to face the calendar that lay crookedly on the wall. “The bookshelf is dusty,” she spoke next, facing the back of the room where the bookshelf was at. “What did you do when you cleaned this morning?” She asked sternly. With no choice, Gumi and Leon stood up. Gumi went to the front of the room to fix the calendar, and Leon went to the back to wipe off the dust. This is how they began their Monday of the third week of school after taking the morning test, nearly finished with April.

“Well then” Mayu spoke again. “I am going to return the test you took this morning.” In her hands were the test papers all the students had used and written. Placing it neatly on her podium, Mayu spoke again. “Once again, the top two students are Sakurada Tonio and Hanazono Flower, both scoring a 100 on the test.”

Seated near the front, it did not take much movement for Tonio to leave his seat and take his test. Flower, seated at the very back corner, had to walk up to the front in order to get hers. Once she stood in front of the podium, she stared at Mayu rather darkly, and Mayu returned the glare for several seconds. Then Mayu picked up the test and extended her arm towards Flower, the test placed just below her face. Looking down on it, Flower slowly accepted the test, and she returned to her seat.

“Third is Miriam Stockley,” Mayu announced once Flower left, and Miriam stood up to take her test. “Utatane Piko.” As Miriam grabbed her test, Piko stood up to pick up his. “Shinzou Kokone.” Kokone stood up to grab her test as Piko returned to his seat. “Kagamine Rin.” Rin was the next person to take her test from Mayu. “Kamui Gakupo.” After Rin took her test back, Gakupo stood and received his. After he sat down, Mayu picked up the remaining tests that were on her podium and began to smack them on it as she spoke her next words.

“The rest,” she began slowly. “Are not even worth calling out.” Taking the tests with her hands and waving them, Mayu spoke her last sentence. “Come find your test yourself.” And Mayu threw all the remaining test papers on the floor in front of her. Every remaining student who did not receive their test fled from their seats, running to the front of the room. As the papers landed on the floor, the students leaned down to find their test with their name on it. In the next thirty seconds, a student shuffled through the papers until they found the one with their name written on the top. As seconds passed, students who found their tests returned to their desk.

In that small time frame, Ann was unable to find a test that had her name written on it. Every paper she found had a different name. As the students emptied out, the amount of papers decreased. By thirty seconds, only Ann was left, and there were no more papers left. Ann looked around slowly, and when she turned to the front of the room, a paper with her name written and a 17% written on top in red marker was right in front of her face. Slowly, Ann accepted the paper and looked up at Mayu.

“Isn’t that nice, Jody-san?” Mayu asked maliciously. “Even though you have the worst grade in the class this week, you can go on without being a representative because Nakajima-san disobeyed me.” Slowly Ann nodded and stood up from the floor. At this point, she finally knew better than to talk back to Mayu. Anything she did as an attempt to get her way, Mayu would put her down easily. Even her mother took a path to be stricter towards Ann. Slowly, Ann retreated to her seat, and she glanced at the representatives who stood at the back, slightly sneering at them.

“On the following Friday,” Mayu began to announce as Ann took her seat. “We will have an early dismissal. On that day, the school will be hosting a celebration of the building being made decades ago.” Opening her laptop, Mayu continued her speech. “In the ninth grade,” she spoke while taking out a disc from a CD box. “Class 1 will do a presentation on the school’s history.” She placed the disc inside the laptop. “Class 2 will do chorus.” Mayu pressed and click around on her laptop before turning it around for the entire class to see.

“Class 3 will perform a dance.”

The video on the laptop began to play. The students in the room watched. In the video, a group of students around their age appeared and began to dance to a foreign, classical song. Everyone watched, and most students began to show a face of disinterest. To most, this was not going to be fun for them.

“We have to dance this?” Wil groaned.  
“Wouldn’t chorus be better?” Yu asked.  
“Chorus is easier,” Al complained.

Mayu turned the laptop back to her, and she paused the video. “We will practice the dance every day after school,” she announced to the class. “I will make sure that all of you will dance this perfectly by the time of the assembly.”

As usual, students began to complain. “We won’t be late to cram school, right?” Miriam asked.

“You’ll be fine,” Mayu began and paused before continuing. “If you do it right, that is.” A pause of silence came for several seconds, and all eyes were on the teacher. “Those who can do it well,” Mayu paused before continuing again, “will receive a reward.” Students began to look at each other in excitement. “That’s right,” Mayu spoke. “How about I listen to one request they have?” Some students found themselves willing to do the dance properly.

“On the other hand,” Mayu spoke again. “Those who screw up will take responsibility.” All smiles that appeared were wiped off of the faces of the students that were hopeful. “For example,” she started. “I will make them a representative.”

Most of the students slowly turned to the back of the room where Gumi and Leon stood. Neither of the two enjoyed the stares their classmates were giving them at all. In the meanwhile, Rin looked down at her lap and bit on her lip. Knowing just how fantastic she is with anything physical, and by that, meaning how poorly fit she is, Rin believes she will probably be the worst among her classmates.

~~~

“Please try the basic movements that I just taught you, starting with the first row.”

The third class of grade nine was dressed in their gym uniforms, learning the basic movements of the dance. The first row, with eight students, stood up, and as Mayu clapped, they began to show her what they had learned.

The right arm extended out, and as it returned, the left arm was out. When the left arm returned, the right reached out again. Once it returned, both arms clapped at the point of the chest and reached towards the ceiling. Very quickly, a circle was made with both arms, and the hands clapped as they made contact at the top. As both arms dropped, the students turned to their right and tapped their left foot twice. They repeated the action until they were facing the front again.

“Okay, next row,” Mayu announced as she walked towards the second row. Students of the first row immediately sat back down, and Ann crawled to SeeU, beginning their chatter as the second row performed.

“Isn’t it great that we are in dance school?” Ann asked confidently.

“I’m not as good as you,” SeeU complimented you. “Also, with you being an idol of some sort, you have danced a lot more than I have.”

“If it goes well, Mayu will listen to one of our requests,” Ann quietly beamed with excitement. “Maybe she will stop harassing us.”

“Yeah,” SeeU smiled.

“Next row,” Mayu announced as the second row sat down and the third row stood.

“Oh, Furukawa-san is going to dance. Wonder how badly she will screw up,” Ann commented, and SeeU nodded. Both girls began to watch Miki as she began, though, very quickly, SeeU found herself staring at the girl next to her.

“What the hell? Furukawa-san isn’t making a mistake,” Ann commented in disgusted as Miki performed the movements perfectly.

“Yeah,” SeeU commented quietly. “But, Kagamine-san…”

“Hm? What about Kagami- oh,” Ann paused when she saw how poorly Rin was doing. “That’s…”

“Now, all together,” Mayu announced, and everyone stood up. Clapping, Mayu chanted, “five, six, seven, eight,” and everyone redid their movements. Right arm, left arm, right arm. Clap at chest, circle, clap to the ceiling. Turn, tap, turn, tap, turn, tap, turn, tap. When everyone finished, Mayu slowly began to walk towards the third row, stopping at right in front of Rin.

“Kagamine-san,” Mayu began. “Do it again.” As she clapped, she chanted, “five, six, seven, eight.” Rin began to redo the dance, and it was very clear that her moves were very poor. Her arms did not extend all the way out like the rest of her classmates did, and she weakly reached towards the ceiling.

“Don’t hesitate,” Mayu coldly commanded the girl.

“Okay,” Rin emotionlessly responded. After she clapped and reached at the ceiling, and she barely even extended her arms up, Rin tapped and turned very meekly.

“Your posture is terrible,” Mayu criticized the girl as she was nearly finished dancing.

“Okay,” was all Rin could say. Once she finished, Mayu dropped her arms to her sides and stared at the girl in front of her.

“That was disgraceful,” Mayu told Rin. “Why is your rhythm so bad?”

Slowly, Rin held on to her shorts, and she lowered her head. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

‘How mean,’ SeeU thought as she watch Mayu speak to Rin like that. SeeU never realized that she had actually whispered those words until Mayu turned to her. A few students began to follow Mayu’s gaze, and SeeU then realized it.

“Did you say something?” Mayu asked coldly. SeeU quickly shook her head. Mayu walked up to her and stood in front of her. “Try it,” she demanded.

“Eh?”

“Hurry up and do it,” Mayu impatiently told her. Clapping, she said her usual countdown, and SeeU performed in front of her perfectly. Reaching the end of the dance, Mayu’s clapping slowed down, and then she dropped her arms. “Do you go to dance class?” Mayu asked nonchalantly.

“Ah, yeah!” SeeU answered, trying to be cheerful.

“That was not good at all.” SeeU stared at her in slight shock. “You didn’t put any emotion into it. That’s not a dance at all. That was just playing around.”

“What…” SeeU whispered.

“There are probably other people here to are or were in dance or ballet school,” Mayu announced as she walked away, speaking for every student to hear. “For senseless people like you guys, those few years were a waste. It was a waste of money, pure and simple. It was all just for your parents’ self satisfaction. They make you do it because others were doing it, or they couldn’t even do it themselves when they were young.”

“Sensei!” Everyone turned to face Gumi, who kept her gaze on Mayu. “Please show us how it should be done,” she told her. “I’m not trying to disobey you, but since you are saying all these things, you must be good at it.”

“Gumi,” Kokone was stunned at her friend’s words. Of course, Kokone knew there was a reason for this. After what had happened on Friday, Gumi held a grudge against Mayu. If Mayu was saying all those things so proudly, then Gumi would take the challenge to make Mayu prove that she was better than them.

“Alright then,” Mayu accepted. “Everyone, sit down.” Slowly and cautiously, everyone sat on the ground and watched their teacher. In a few seconds, Mayu chose to make the first movement. When minutes pass on, everyone watched her in shock and amazement. Mayu’s moves were flawless. Her arms extended beautifully as they reached the sky. She twirled elegantly. A few ballet steps were made effortlessly. She kicked her leg up gracefully. In an ending pose, Mayu emotionlessly stared at her class, and everyone could only look at her in amazement and envy.


	21. Dancing Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if no one could think anything can get worse, practicing for the dance becomes hell for everyone due to someone's inability to learn fast enough. Meanwhile, Gumi continues to express her rage about her teacher, while SeeU grows more pessimistic about her parents.

“Seriously,” Gumi muttered under her breath as she swept the library floor. “How come she can do anything?” She angrily asked the air around her as she continued to do her job. “Always, she talks to us as if we were fools, and then she proves she can do everything right,” Gumi was probably more bitter than she usually was, and Leon noticed.

“You’re still mad at Mayu for Friday, aren’t you?”

“Damn you, Mayu!”

“Taking that as a yes,” Leon sighed. Placing the books he was holding in his arms on a table, he crept up to his angry friend. As she was too busy growing frustrated over her teacher as she cleaned, she never noticed her friend coming behind her until she felt fingers stabbing her rib cages.

“Leon!” The girl shrieked, trying to hold back her giggles. “Stop it!” She tried to suppress her laughter while struggling to free herself from him.

“Stop being so angry then,” Leon smiled as he released her hold on her. Gumi turned and faced him, releasing a sigh. Gumi pouted and had wanted to scream, but she held herself back. Sighing in defeat, she chose to let out her anger for a moment. “Also, what are you going to do?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Gumi asked him.

“Unlike the previous two girls I was with, you have a club after school. Coach won’t be happy when he hears you were put on rep duty for disobeying Mayu when you have a game on Saturday.” Taking in Leon’s words, Gumi realized he was correct. SeeU and Flower did not participate in any school clubs or activities so them being a representative was not a problem. Gumi, however, had been a member of the girls’ basketball team ever since she began junior high school. While her coach was carefree, she was a typhoon with thousands of sharp needles whenever a member cannot participate in practice or a game for whatever reason.

Gumi had forgotten entirely that she was in that club when she went to do her chores for the evening. “Surely, coach won’t kill me.”

“She will tomorrow though,” Leon told her.

“She can’t remove me from the club though. I’m precious.”

“I know you are. I’ve seen you when I go to your basketball games. You are one of the best players on the team, at least until you trip over your own feet.”

Gumi shoved Leon and walked past him. “I do not trip over myself!” She practically scolded him.

“Yes, Gumi,” Leon followed her as he spoke. “You do. Even Kokone had recorded that one game you were in last year. You were all good until you slipped on nothing and faceplanted the floor.”

“Embarrassing!” Gumi yelled. “Wait,” she paused when she took in Leon’s words. “Kokone recorded that!?” Leon nodded gleefully. Angrily embarrassed, Gumi walked faster, but Leon caught up, walking beside her.

“You two are weirdos! Hentai*!”

“Hentai?” Leon asked. “Formation! One! Two!”

“Not that hentai, you goof!”

“So you mean the hentai where the guy picks up a girl’s skirt and flips it up so she-“

“No!”

Throughout the entire walk and argument, neither ever noticed the girl right in front of them.

“Seriously, stay away!”

“What am I? A dog now?”

“Worse than that!”

“What am I then!?”

“Water flea.”

“What the hell!”

And throughout that conversation, neither still ever notice her until Gumi walks straight at her. Upon the collision, both girls experience the pain their foreheads earned. Gumi stood and quickly placed her hand on her head, rubbing the pain. The other girl fell to the floor below her, wincing at the pain.

“Furukawa-san, are you alright? I am so sorry for this girl hurting you like that,” Leon apologized to the girl with a familiar, reddish ahoge that sat on the floor. Gumi removed her hand and turned to the boy, glaring at him.

“You are making it sound like I’m an antagonist,” she hissed at him. Turning to Miki, Gumi extended her arm out to her, an offer to help her up.

“In a way, you kind of are one,” Leon commented as Miki accepted Gumi’s hand. The green haired girl glared at him again while she pulled up the girl in front of her. “Now I know why Kokone often complains about you.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Gumi asked bitterly.

“Well,” Leon began and faced Miki. “Nod if you agree with everything I am going to say, Furukawa-san.” Miki nodded slowly, unsure of what is going to happen. “For the start, Nakajima Gumi is a molester, taking every opportunity to glomp on her classmates.”

“I don’t think molesting is the same as glomping,” Miki murmured as Gumi stared at Leon in disbelief.

“Gumi is also a dimwit. Last week, she turned off her alarm entirely by mistake, and then she went to school super early afterwards, thinking she was late again.”

Miki turned to Gumi. “That really happened?”

“It did,” Leon informed her. “And she was begging me to show up early. In addition,” he continued. “Gumi has anger problems.”

“I do not,” Gumi complained to him.

“Oh, really?” He turned to her. “Explain what that was five minutes ago.”

“You being an idiot.”

“You see, Furukawa-san,” he asked Miki while pointing to Gumi. “That was purely said out of resentment.”

“No,” Gumi slowly began, but Leon continued straight away.

“Gumi also once told someone in our class that they were not special.”

“Kokone already killed me for that,” Gumi commented. Miki had wanted to ask what Gumi had meant for saying that, but very quickly, she spotted a white ribbon resembling rabbit ears behind the pair in front of her. As Leon and Gumi bickered, Miki changed her focus to the blonde hair girl behind them.

“What happened, Kagamine-san?”

Very quickly, Leon and Gumi ended their conversation, which was entirely pointless bickering, and turned behind them.

“Ah, Rin-chan!” Gumi beamed.

“Is there something you need, Kagamine-san?” Leon asked.

The entire time the three were conversing with each other, Rin was overhearing them, interested in their conversations. It had been fun hearing them until Miki had noticed her. “No,” Rin spoke quietly in her nasally voice. “It’s nothing,” she told them before suddenly turning. She dashed off very quickly.

“Hey, Rin-chan!” Gumi yelled out, quickly running to the stairway where Rin was at. “Wait up! Wait up! Wait up!” Gumi made it to the stairs, but when she looked down, the girl was nowhere in sight. “Eh, she’s gone,” she murmured disappointedly.

~~~

“How come you don’t want to tell Mom and Dad about the ceremony?” Uni calmly questioned her little sister who sat next to her. Uni was reading the advertisement of the ceremony she held in her hand as SeeU snuggled her older sister. “Were you bullied by Mayu again?”

“Nope,” SeeU spoke calmly. “Nothing like that this time.”

“Don’t get so worked up,” Uni told her. “Oh, how about skipping it with that boy?”

“It’s okay,” SeeU smiled at her. “Mayu announced that she will listen to a request if we do it right.” Her smile slightly grew. “Maybe we can ask her to stop deciding everything through tests.”

“Somehow,” Uni spoke as she dropped the paper and crossed her arms. “I have a feeling that if you try this hard, things will grow more miserable very soon.”

“Eh,” SeeU began to complain. “Stop it, Onee-chan,” she cried. In the very next second, however, SeeU recalled dance class. “Oh yeah, I learned something at dance today. Watch this.” She moved out of the bed and stood up. Standing still, she smiled at Uni.

“Se no!*” As SeeU made noises from her mouth, resembling the music she had heard in class, she moved her arms freely, imitating the dance she recited today. Very freely, she moves them and steps at her place, keeping a cheerful smile on her face.

“What do you think?” She asked as she pointed her right arm forward, ending her small, fifteen second dance. Uni chuckled as she watched her little sister entertain her. “Isn’t it great? I will do it one more time. Here I go!”

~~~

Pressing the on button on the remote held in her hand, Mayu turns on the ipod next to her. Right after school ended on Wednesday, Mayu had made her entire class change into their gym uniform, and she took them to the roof, where everyone was to show what they have learned in the past two days. As the music began, Mayu clapped. “Five, six, seven, eight!” She gave her class the signal to perform.

In their assigned position, everyone recited what they were taught on Monday. Arms extended outwards, and circles were made. Then everyone tapped as they turned clockwise. After finishing Monday’s lesson, everyone went down to their knee, and they all extended their arms out to their sides correctly. Finally, everyone made circles with their arms before the music change, signalling them to lie on the floor.

Rin had very weakly danced to what she had learned. Dance was never her strength, nor was anything athletic fun for her. When it came to where everyone would lie on the ground and dance with their arms, Rin had lost what she was doing. She couldn’t comprehend what the next part was at. Sitting on the ground, all she could do was stare at everyone around her. Everyone could do the next part perfectly. Rin realized that and felt a bit of shame growing. The girl was so good with math, English, science, and history, and she was excellent at art, but with physical education, she was practically worthless. This dance had only further highlighted that directly to her.

This action of being unsure of what was next did not go unnoticed by Mayu. As she slowed on her clapping, Mayu grabbed the remote and turned off the ipod. When the music paused abruptly, everyone began to sit up in confusion. Keeping her eyes directly glared at the girl with the white bow, Mayu stood up and walked towards her.

“What will it take for you to remember this?” Mayu bitterly asked. “Because of you, practice will never end. Do you realize you are being an inconvenience to the people around you?” Rin couldn’t even bring herself to look at her teacher. She kept her head held down, feeling embarrassed. “They are worried about making it to cram school on time,” Mayu continued to scold her. Finally, Rin chose to slowly look up, and when she did, she felt a sense of regret. Her classmates were all looking at her. Some glared, others showed a look of pity, some sneered, and the rest just kept their eyes on her. Rin looked down again, and she was glad she had forgotten her hair clips, for her bangs were long enough to cover her eyes.

“I am sorry,” she whispered.

“Sensei,” Gumi called out cautiously several seconds after Rin apologized.

“What is it?” Mayu sternly asked as she turned to Gumi.

“Please forgive her.” Surprised with the girl’s words, Rin looked up and turned to Gumi. “She is trying her best,” Gumi tried to explain to their teacher.

“Talking for others?” Mayu asked. “You still don’t realize that you are disturbing everyone else?”

“Eh? How am I doing that?” Gumi asked rather than answering Mayu’s questions, if there was even an answer to them.

Mayu walked towards her. “You try to stand out, even though you are worthless.” A sharp pain had entered Gumi’s chest when those words came out, but Gumi kept a serious face. “And you left your job to that boy yesterday.”

“I did not,” Gumi spoke back. The previous day, Leon had kindly offered to allow Gumi to head straight to practice, telling her he will finish for her. “You know I have basketball to attend to, Sensei,” Gumi called out to Mayu.

“Everyone,” Mayu walked away suddenly, turning her attention to the rest of the class. “You can all go home now. Making you guys stay because of those two would be bad.” With that command, most students quickly got up and walked away immediately while others cautiously got up and kept their attention at their teacher. “Satou-san, you will only have to clean the classroom,” she informed Leon before turning back to Gumi and Rin. “As punishment, wipe the corridors on all three floors.” She coldly commanded to the two girls. “Since you can’t even do the basics, you can strengthen your lower body by doing that.”

“Bye, Sensei,” one student called out.  
“Sayounara,” another bid farewell to Mayu.  
“Goodbye,” Mayu returned the gesture to them.

Flower remained standing as everyone departed, and she kept her gaze on Mayu. The teacher had noticed and returned the gesture. Very badly, Flower had wanted to criticize Mayu. Was it really okay to use cruel words to Rin, who can’t even get the dance right? Wasn’t this punishment too severe? But Flower knew, Mayu will win the argument. Looking down, Flower took several steps away, deciding it was best not to bother.


	22. Corporal Punishment or Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi develops a friendship with Rin while the teachers debate on whether Mayu's punishment to the two girls is justified or too harsh.

In the hallway, Rin and Gumi swept the floor with the white rag held in their hands. Gumi, with more athletic strength, had ran faster and never stopped until she smacked her head to the wall. Rin, on the other hand, was slower due to never being a strong person physically. When Rin finally caught up to Gumi, the two girls went through another round of sweeping the hallway. As the two ran only a fourth of the way there, Rin stopped and caught her breath. Noticing quickly that her partner had stopped, Gumi quickly turned around and ran back to her.

“Keep it up, Rin-chan!” Gumi managed to cheer to the girl as she regain her breath. Rin simply stared at Gumi, leading the girl to make another comment. “Faito!” Gumi cheered as she extended her arms out, then pressed her fists to her head while making a weird face. Rin couldn’t help but smile at how energetic Gumi is. Seeing that she was smiling, Gumi felt accomplished and placed her hands back on the rag.

“Let’s go,” she told her, and they started again cleaning the hallway. This time, Rin had lasted longer when she cleaned. It was not until she was nearly done with the hallway when she paused again.

“I can’t do it anymore,” she muttered while panting heavily.

“Don’t say that,” Gumi spoke cheerfully as she turned around. “There is only a little bit left,” she tried to cheer up the girl.

“You think having people like me in class is a bother, right?” Rin asked with hesitation.

“What are you saying?” Gumi asked. “I don’t think like that.”

“You don’t have to be nice,” Rin told her. “I’m an ugly, worthless person. Even my friends yell at me whenever I screw up.”

“Rin-chan, you are cute,” Gumi told the girl. “And you need better friends. You worry too much about what others say.” Gumi began to sweep back to Rin as she continued talking. “You must have more confidence. You should appreciate yourself more. You have many good traits, afterall.”

“Like what?” Rin asked once Gumi was right next to her. Gumi paused for a second before she began to explain.

“You’re smart. You have As in class on most subjects. You are also nice to everyone. Ah,” Gumi suddenly remembered. “Your manga drawings are wonderful.”

“Really?”

“Really!” Gumi smiled. “Want to show me later?”

Rin thought and considered Gumi’s words for several seconds before she spoke to her. “Then, will you be my friend?”

“What are you saying?” Gumi asked smiling. “Of course, I will be your friend.”

A huge, genuine smile appeared in Rin’s face. “Thank you.” Gumi nodded.

“Let’s keep doing this a bit more.” Rin nodded, and the two girls began to resume their chore. While they do so, Meiko was walking down the other side of the hallway when she caught the sight of two ninth graders wiping the floors manually. Simply, she stared at the two before she turned back.

~~~

“She made them wipe the floors?”

“Yep,” Meiko answered before Kiyoteru and Akiko sighed.

“That’s not good,” Kiyoteru muttered.

“I’m worried about her giving out all of these punishments,” Akiko sighed. “If the guardians find out,” she trailed off.

“How should we deal with this?” Kiyoteru questioned. “Her whole class appears to be worried or afraid whenever I look at them.”

“Speaking of which,” Meiko spoke. “Back at that assembly, she had a pocket knife and pointed it at my throat,” she recalled while her fingers tenderly touched her neck. “It’s not for scaring the students, right?”

“I will speak to her about this,” Akiko muttered. ‘I don’t need another excuse to go on disliking her,’ she coldly thought. “She needs to stop committing these actions so freely,” she muttered to herself. Just that second, Mayu opened the door to the teacher’s lounge and shut it behind her as she entered. Walking quietly to her seat, Mayu began to take out her laptop as Akiko slowly walked up to her.

“Hey, Ms. Akuma,” Akiko spoke quietly.

“What is it?” Mayu asked sternly.

“Wouldn’t it be better to avoid corporal punishment?” Akiko quickly asked.

Mayu turned her head towards the vice-principal. “What do you mean?” She asked with slight curiosity.

“Well,” Akiko began before she straightened herself up and continued on with a serious voice. “I was informed you made a few students wipe the floors in the corridors.”

“That’s not corporal punishment,” Mayu informed Akiko. “That is training.”

“Training?” Akiko was stunned with Mayu’s words and began to reconsider. “If it’s training,” she muttered. Then a small smile appeared. “No problem then.” Akiko turned to Kiyoteru and Meiko. “Absolutely no problem if it’s training,” she told them before she quickly walked away.

“You know, Mayu,” Meiko went up to Mayu after Akiko left and attempted to talk to her. “Maybe you should keep practice a little more easier,” she suggested. “If the students return late, the guardians will worry,” she continued to reason with her.

“You said something, didn’t you?” Mayu questioned her.

“I don’t agree that you should punish the students in that way,” Meiko answered.

“And?”

“Don’t you want your class to bond and connect with each other as well as with the other classes?” Kiyoteru questioned.

“Even if my class heard the performances of the other classes,” Mayu began as she took notes for herself, not bothering to look up at her coworkers. “They will not think about becoming friendlier with them.” Then Mayu continued speaking. “Even when there are dishonest and enthusiastic children in your classes, you don’t punish them. All you two do is suck up to them. You both seem to mistake being a teacher for being in a service industry.”

“I have no intention of pushing my thoughts into my students,” Kiyoteru told her. The same moment, Akiko slowly walked back and leaned next to the open doorway, overhearing the conversation.

“I simply love my students,” he muttered, and as a result, Mayu finally looked up towards her as she slammed her book.

“Loving and spoiling are very different,” she coldly told him. “Fourteen year old children, soon to turn fifteen, are developing beings. What will spoiling and flattering them do? Kids that grow up without getting punished will cause problems when they enter society as an adult. Schools exist to make sure that does not happen.”

Mayu stood up from her seat, and as she packed, she continued talking. “That is why I punish those who violate rules and refuse to reflect on their actions. I don’t care if a student quits school. It is better if students with bad influences don’t come.” Concluding her word, Mayu took her bag and walked away. Meiko and Kiyoteru stood there, taking in Mayu’s words, and Akiko walked away, unsure of what to even think.


	23. In the Karaoke Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi takes Rin to a karaoke bar to meet a good friend of hers.

“Where are we going?” Rin asked timidly as Gumi grabbed her wrist and led her down town. The sun was near setting, and after finishing their cleaning, Gumi had invited Rin to eat dinner with her in town. Shyly accepting it, Rin had to call her mother and inform her that she will be home later. Gumi had wanted to take Leon as well, but he had already left when the two girls were finished.

When the two girls were changing from their gym clothes back to their school uniforms, Rin was putting on her blue skirt when she felt arms hugging her from behind. She nearly shrieked and desired to pull away and hide, but Gumi’s grip was strong and held her tightly.

“I have a grand idea, Rin-chan,” Gumi spoke as she hugged the blonde girl from behind. “Every day, on our way to school and after school, let’s practice.”

“Practice?” Rin did not understand entirely what she was saying.

“Even if we continue the dance practice after school as usual,” Gumi began. “You might not able to catch up to us at this pace. That’s why we should practice more, outside of class.”

“Practice outside of class,” Rin pondered. “Then, you will help me?”

“Of course I will,” Gumi cheered. “We will practice until you can do it right. Mayu is often complaining about your poor movements and putting you down. If we practice to a point where you can finally dance well, when Mayu makes us do the entire dance next Thursday and sees you, she will have to bite her tongue.” Gumi finally released her arms, and Rin, having managed to put her skirt on successfully, and glad that Gumi did not notice her underwear, bent down to get her shirt.

“If it’s so Mayu can stop being mean to me,” Rin spoke as she put her shirt on. “Then I will do my best during our practice.”

The two girls had faced each other and linked their pinkies together, sealing the promise. After changing their clothes, Gumi led Rin out of the school and had walked on. For quite a while now, Rin had not utter a word, only allowing Gumi to lead her. Now, she was curious to where she was being taken to, and finally, she had asked.

“You’ll see,” was the answer she got. In several minutes, Gumi finally pauses in her movement and pulls Rin closer to her. “We are going in that place,” Gumi told Rin, pointing to a building ahead. “A friend of mine is in there, so we will eat with her,” she informed the blonde. Rin followed Gumi’s finger and examined the building. Many lights were on, and shadows of humans can be seen. A huge, red sign hang on top, the words “Karaoke” shining ever so brightly.

“I never went to a karaoke bar before,” Rin whispered.

“You will now,” Gumi told her. “It’s a lot of fun, especially when my friend is involved.” Before Rin can speak again, Gumi grabbed her wrist and began to run again. When the two girls arrived at the front of the building, Gumi gradually slowed her pace and walked, allowing Rin to walk in peace and a chance to catch her breathe.

“Excuse me,” Gumi caught the attention of one of the workers. Upon seeing her face, the worker recognized her.

“Ah, you came to visit Hatsune-san, right?” Gumi nodded gleefully. “She is in her usual room in the building.”

“Thank you,” Gumi cheered and ran to an elevator, pulling Rin with her. In front of the elevator, Gumi pushed a button and waited for the elevator to come down.’

“Who is Hatsune-san?” Rin asked. Surely, it was Gumi’s friend, but Rin would like that fact to be confirmed. Right then, the elevator opened, and the two girls entered. Gumi pushed the button with the number 9 on it, and the doors closed.

“Hatsune-san is Miku,” Gumi began when the elevator started to lift the girls up. “Miku is a good friend of mine I met nearly two years ago.” When Gumi had finished that sentence, Rin thought for a moment, she saw a glint of sadness in Gumi’s eyes. Rin blinked upon noticing, but when she looked again, it was gone.

“You met her here?” Rin asked her next question. Gumi shook her head.

“I met her elsewhere in the city. Miku-chan took me to the karaoke bar right after our first meeting. She thought it would bring a smile to my face.” Gumi turned to look at Rin and was met with a look of confusion. “When I met her, I was crying.” Rin blinked. Crying? Gumi? The thought of a cheerful energetic girl shedding tears was hard to imagine. Then, Rin had realized, everyone, even the most cheerful, has to cry at some point. Then a painful memory resurfaced in Rin’s head, and the girl had to shake her head furiously.

“Are you okay?” Gumi noticed Rin’s violent head shaking and grew concerned. Rin nodded.

“Just thought of something I don’t want to remember,” Rin told her. The same time, the elevator door opened upon reaching the ninth floor.

“Ah, I hate that,” Gumi commented as both girls walked out of the now empty elevator. “Remembering something you rather forget about is not fun,” she simply said. The two girls continued to walk down the hallway until Gumi stopped right in front of a door. Behind the door, Rin could hear a song playing a feminine voice singing. “What is she singing?” Gumi asked herself as she began to knock. After several seconds of knocking, no response came out.

“Okay, Miku,” Gumi sighed. “Mind holding this for a minute?” She asked Rin, handing her school bag to her. Rin nodded and grabbed the bag. The blonde haired girl watched the greenette in front of her, standing in front of the door. Very quickly, Gumi began to bang her fists on the door and screamed the girl’s name. In several seconds, the door opened, and Rin witnessed a conversation between Gumi and someone unfamiliar behind the door.

“What the hell, Gumi,” the stranger began, and Rin noted that she had a sweet, feminine voice. “I’m in the middle of having fun singing and you start banging this door. You could have knocked!”

“I did!” Gumi complained. “You didn’t hear me, so I had to bang on the door.”

The stranger sighed. “Whatever, get in Gumi.” The stranger grabbed Gumi’s left wrist, and before she could get pulled in, Gumi grabbed Rin’s wrist with her right arm. Very suddenly, both girls were pulled into the room. “Oh, Gumi, your friend is a cutie,” the girl complimented. Turning towards her right, Rin finally got a look at Gumi’s friend.

A pretty girl who stood around the same height as the two teenagers stood before them. Her teal hair was tied in high twintails. She was dressed in a blue Tshirt, a black skirt that landed above her mid thighs and thigh high black socks with boots worn over them. She examined Rin with a smile on her face.

“Nice to meet you,” she began to talk to Rin, extending her hand out to her. “I’m Miku,” she introduced herself.

“I’m Kagamine Rin,” the teenager introduced herself back while accepting the woman’s hand, shaking it gently. Afterwards, Rin took a seat at one of the cushions while Gumi gazed at the list of songs.

“I’m going to sing,” Gumi announced. “Make Rin-chan feel welcome, Miku-chan!” The song begins, and Rin recognized the tune as Your Love Will Surely Skyrocket. Miku sat down next to Rin and faced her.

“How did you meet Gumi?” Miku asked politely.

“Well,” Rin quietly began. “I knew her since seventh grade, but I became friends with her today,” she shyly answered.

“That’s nice,” Miku commented. “Gumi warmed up to your heart then, just like she did mine.” She then noticed the yellow bag next to Rin’s school bag. “Out of curiousity, what do you have in there?” She asked, pointing to the bag. Rin faced the direction of the pointed finger and realized what Miku is talking about.

“That’s my bag where I put my sketchbook in,” she answered softly. 

“Oh? Can I see?” Miku asked politely. Nodding, Rin grabbed her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. The song came to an end, and Gumi sat down next to Rin. “A pretty voice as always, Gumi-chan,” Miku told her. “Rin is going to show me her drawings now.”

“Oh! Wonderful!” Gumi exclaimed. “Rin-chan has wonderful drawings!” Rin opened her book, and turned her pages one by one. Miku and Gumi watched in amazement. Each page was decorated with anime characters and designs of all kinds. When Rin had turned to a page with a girl reading a book and her hair tied in a side tail, Gumi recognized her.

“That’s Hana-chan!”

“Hana-chan?” Miku questioned.

“Hanazono Flower, a girl from our class,” Gumi explained. “Rin, that’s a really good drawing of her!”

Rin blushed. “Thank you,” she answered.

“You must really like her for you to draw her,” Miku remarked.

Rin nodded. “I admire Hanazono-san,” she shyly admitted. “I really like her demeanor and how intelligent she is. I kind of want to be her friend.”

Gumi smiled. “I want to be her friend too, but she pushed me away and called me annoying,” she pouted. 

Miku laughed. “Guess it doesn’t matter though. What matters is you made a cute new friend here.”

“That’s right,” Gumi smiled and put her head next to Rin’s. “And we’re going to practice dancing from now on, right~”

“Yep!” Rin smiled, feeling very content with her new friend.


	24. Dance!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi helps Rin practice the dance routine so the latter can improve and impress Mayu.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!" Counting so cheerfully, Gumi recites the dance Mayu taught. Rin, standing next to her, watches. Every other number, Gumi clapped to the sky. As she count on, she spun around. Finally, Gumi caught Rin's lost look and stood straight.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, on six, extend your arms up and clap," she told her. Rin nodded. Gumi recounted, "one, two, three, four, five, six," and on six, Rin clapped to the sky, exactly what Gumi told her to do. Smiling, Gumi continued, telling Rin what to do next.

Wednesday night became Thursday morning. On the walk to school, Gumi and Rin were next to each other. Dance practice continued for them.

"No, no," Gumi muttered when Rin made a mistake. "Extend your arms out in the opposite direction, okay?" Rin nodded. "One, two, three, four," Gumi began to count again. She and Rin practiced their arm movements as they walked to school.

Behind them, Kokone was watching. "You are too nice, Gumi-chan," she whispered, although a small smile lingered on her face. "Rin is so bad at dancing, though," she continued to talk to herself. "And Mayu is so straightforward about it too," she sighed. "While Gumi is an idiot, she will definitely help Rin get better at dancing. By next week, Rin will do so well, Mayu will stop being so harsh about it." With that in mind, Kokone smiled as she continued to watch the two girls in front of her.

Sunny Thursday morning became rainy Friday morning. While holding their umbrellas and school bags, Gumi and Rin continued to practice their dancing .At this point, Rin was improving. As they count, they extended their arms out to each other.

"Jump!" Gumi cheered as she did so.

"Jump!" Rin mimicked her. At first smiling, the two girls succumbed to giggles. They continued to walk to school while they continue to practice the dance for the upcoming ceremony.

Soon, Friday became the weekend. As promised, Gumi and Rin met at the park, and they practiced the movements Mayu taught the past week. It was clear by now. Rin was improving. Her movements were no longer lazy and weak. However, she was still far from perfect, so Mayu continue to criticize her in front of everyone. Instead of feeling down, however, Rin felt more determined. Practicing with Gumi improved her dancing.

Aside from dancing, the two girls got to learn more of each other. Gumi's parents argued constantly. Rin only had her mother as family. Both girls plan to attend a private high school for the next year. Gumi is part of the basketball team. Rin is a member of the art club. Gumi loves carrots. Rin loves oranges and bananas. Both girls adore the same music.

 

The two girls were suddenly close friends.

As they grow closer during the weekend, Kokone walked and watched them silently. The never noticed her, but she kept her gaze at them. The brunette had debated on whether to get their attention or keep watch. Simply put, Kokone wanted to spend her weekend with Gumi alone, but because Rin still needed help, Kokone never said anything. When she felt it was time to leave, Kokone left without ever saying anything. She never smiled during this time.

~~~

The weekend ended. The horror of Monday took over. After the morning quiz, instead of announcing the names of the students who scored the best, Mayu walked straight to Gumi. Standing in front of the girl's desk, Mayu stared at her.

"If you apologize for disobeying me," Mayu began. "For speaking against me and ditching your chores," she continued. "Then I will forgive you." Everyone in the classroom turn towards Gumi's seat. She did not need to think for a response.

"I'll pass."

Mayu smiled for a millisecond. "Well then," she began as she turned around and slowly return to the front of the room. "Please take care of the chores." Nearly everyone was in disbelief. Gumi had the opportunity to not be a representative and she refused it.

"What is wrong with her!?"  
"She must love doing chores for us."  
"Is she trying to disobey her intentionally?"

Gumi did dislike doing chores, but she despise the treatment her friends have gotten from Mayu more. If she kept in mind that Mayu exposed Leon's secret without his consent and that Rin was continuously humiliated in practice, then she can endure doing such simple housework that everyone tries so desperately hard to avoid.

~~~

During break, in the courtyard, teenagers play their games. Some played tag, some played ball, and many chat as they walk. Sitting on the ground, Rin held her sketchbook and her pencil. With gleeful emotions controlling her, she drew with a grin. Coming out of the school building, Gumi commits to her chores. As she carries the bins to the outdoors, she caught the sight of her friend. Smiling, she ran towards her clumsily.

"What are you drawing?" Gumi asked upon reaching Rin. Dropping the bins, Gumi kneeled down next to Rin. The blonde allowed the greenette to see the drawn page in the book. "Is that me?" Gumi questioned as she examined the page. In the page, there was a sketch of a bespectacled girl with short hair, wearing the school gym uniform, and she held buckets while keeping a cheerful face. When Rin nodded in confirmation, Gumi giggled. She looked at the pages more. The blonde has drawn Gumi several times. There was a sketch of cheerful Gumi with no glasses. In a corner of a page, Gumi was dancing, There was even Gumi sitting with a bored expression. Among all the Gumis in the pages, kanji was drawn across the right page.

"My Best Friend"

~~~

After school, Monday and Tuesday, Gumi and Rin kept up with their practice. Each time they redid the dance, Rin improved. By Wednesday night, the two girls were at the park. In their gym uniforms, the two girls performed every move Mayu taught the class. With all the energy the two girls had, they performed. They hopped, they clapped, they created arm circles, they turned, and they smiled. When the two girls finished they paused and caught their breaths. Regaining energy, the girls turned to each other.

"Did you get it?" Gumi asked.

"I got it!" Rin answered.

"Did I get it?" Gumi pointed to herself.

"You got it!" Rin smiled. Quickly, the two cheered. They did it. Rin can do the dance well. The practice paid off. The two girls could not be any happier.

Tomorrow, when they perform in class, they will show Mayu the hard work they have done.

Meanwhile, as they cheered, Kokone watched with an emotionless face and eyes growing with a hint of longing.

 

~~~  
On Thursday afternoon, the third class of the ninth grade danced. The ceremony was tomorrow. In the two weeks, Mayu strictly taught the class the dance. Now they all perform the entire dance to her. As they dance, the students made sure not to make a single mistake. Mayu had promised to reward the students with did well. Most of them wanted their requests granted.

Finally, the music ended. Everyone, all twenty-four students, ended their dance with their assigned pose. The only sounds that echoed in the gym were the heavy breathing of the students. Mayu stood in front of them, examining all of her students. Then, she walked towards them in a slow pace. The students kept their eyes on the teacher, curious to what she will do.

Then Mayu paused, stopping right in front of Rin. The student gazed at the woman. Perhaps, Mayu will congratulate her. Maybe Mayu was impressed with Rin's improvement. She ceased her harshness during the week. Maybe Mayu will apologize.

"Kagamine Rin," Mayu began to speak to her. "You don't have to show up to tomorrow's ceremony."

"Eh?" Rin was puzzled. Did she do well? Was this a reward?

"You will get in everyone's way," Mayu told her, and all hope was crushed instantly as she spoke. "Your dancing is embarrassing. How about you pretend you caught a cold tomorrow?" Ending her talk to Rin, Mayu turned around and began her announcement. "Excluding her, who will create problems, we will dance with twenty-three people tomorrow. I will see you all tomorrow with your gym uniforms." As Mayu walked away, everyone stared. Gumi couldn't believe it.

"Wait, sensei!" Gumi cried out angrily, but Mayu ignored her. Gumi clenched her jaw. Rin had worked so hard, yet it was all in vain. Students near the blonde turn to her, while others stared into space in disbelief. Rin kept her gaze at where Mayu had last been before she left the gym. All of her hard work in the two weeks were thrown down the drain. She had no words, nor did she have a reaction. Gumi, on the other hand, found more deep hatred growing towards Mayu.


	25. Let's Boycott

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mayu denies Rin the chance to dance with the class, everyone agrees on a plan in hopes of humiliating Mayu as revenge.

In the classroom, all twenty-four students sat silently, unsure of what to say or do. Everyone had seen Rin try so hard to get the dance correct. Her reward for getting it right after training so much? Mayu telling her to skip because her dancing was embarrassing.

“Why do we even bother?” Leon asked loudly and nonchalantly, interrupting the gloomy atmosphere. “We should just quit the stupid dance and not show up to the ceremony tomorrow. Everyone is so miserable now.”

Gumi listened to Leon’s words and allowed them to sink in. “Let’s do that,” Gumi spoke up, agreeing with Leon. Some heads turned to face Gumi, including Leon’s. “Everyone, tomorrow, let’s boycott.” Everyone turned to Gumi and looked at each other.

“But,” Ann spoke up quietly. “Won’t we be screwed if we did that?”

“Yeah,” Prima spoke up. “My parents are coming tomorrow.”

“Is it okay to let Mayu bully Rin?” Gumi asked them. “Rin worked so hard to nail that dance.”

“No one is happy doing that dance,” Leon brought up. “Do you guys want to stay miserable?” A few students whisper among each other. From the other side of the room, Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha were discussing the idea of a boycott. In the back of the room, Ann, SeeU, Prima, and Chika talk it over. Near the front, Kyo, Wil, and Yu ask Bruno and Al for their opinions. After several seconds, they slowly smiled and made up their minds.

“Let’s ditch this dance tomorrow,” Chika spoke up to her friends, and they all nodded.

“Let’s boycott,” Luka told her two friends.

“I’m not doing that dance,” Al announced.

“Same,” Yu joined in. “Mayu pisses me off.”

During the chorus of agreements, Miriam chose to voice her thoughts. “I don’t think this is a good idea at all.” The chatter died, and everyone turned to Miriam.

“That’s because Gariko* is a teacher’s pet,” Iroha chanted.  
“She will do anything to make Mayu happy,” Luka added.

Ignoring them, Ann spoke out. “Tonio, will you help out too?” Suddenly, Tonio became the center of attention.

 

“Tonio, you have to help.”  
“Mayu will listen to you.”  
“Tonio can distract Mayu tomorrow.”

“Wait! Wait!” Tonio attempted to calm everyone down, both the large majority that wish to boycott, and Piko, Gakupo, and Miriam, who were openly against it.

“Tonio, don’t give in to them!” Piko yell to him.

“You don’t know how Mayu will punish us,” Gakupo tried to explain, but his words were tuned out.

“You don’t like Mayu’s teaching, right?” Luka asked

“Of course he doesn’t,” Al answered.

“He complained about it the past week,” Bruno added.

“You two, shush!” Tonio scolded them.

“You don’t agree with Mayu’s teaching, right?” Chika questioned him.

“Well,” Tonio began and sighed. “Not really this past week.”

“Will you help us?” Kyo asked.

“You have the highest grades, so Mayu will listen to you,” Chika reminded him.

“Mayu likes obedient students too,” Kaito added.

“I don’t know,” Tonio told his classmates while debating whether to help or not.

“Please?”  
“Help us!”

More than half the class cried and begged for Tonio to help. He didn’t know what to say. Tonio knew if they boycott, Mayu will most likely give them a severe punishment. Miriam, Piko, and Gakupo were also aware of it, and they were openly against the idea of a boycott, However, Tonio kept in mind that his classmates were boycotting not because they did not like Mayu. Well, most of them did dislike Mayu, but seeing their classmate get openly picked on by her was ghastly to them. Now, to witness Mayu kick Rin out of the dance, even going as far as to call her an embarrassment no matter how hard she tried, it felt like a horrible crime was committed. In response, the majority of the class seeked revenge.

Surrounded by his pleading classmates, Tonio sighed. “All right,” he muttered in defeat. Hearing his response, many cheered happily.

“Yes!” Al cheered and stood on a desk. “Everyone, let’s do our be-” in his speech, Chika slapped his leg harshly, leaving him to wince in pain.

“Quiet!” Chika scolded him. “You don’t want Mayu to hear!”

“I do not want to be apart of this!” Piko yelled at them.

“Tonio, this is a bad idea,” Miriam went up to him and told him.

“Piko, does it not bother you that Mayu bullies Rin?” Kaito asked, forgetting every argument he ever had with the boy. “Rin is your friend.”

Piko sighed and turned to Kaito. “Yes, it does bother me that Mayu picks on Rin, but a boycott won’t solve anything.”

“In addition,” Gakupo intervene. “We can be severely punished for this.”

“Alright,” Tonio announced, ignoring Miriam, Piko, and Gakupo. “Here is the plan.” Hearing him, many students crowd around him. Miriam and Piko could only sigh in defeat. Gakupo sat back down to his seat, knowing no one will listen to him. 

As Tonio went to discuss the plan, Gumi went towards Rin’s desk. “Isn’t this great, Rin-chan?” she cheered happily. Rin smiled and nodded. Quickly, Gumi spot Flower picking up a book from the back of the room. “Isn’t this great, Hana-chan?” she asked her. Flower turned and stare at her, and then returned to her seat. Gumi stood and followed her, waiting for a response. Flower took out her bag and put her book inside when Gumi stood beside her.

“I wonder if everyone will stick to the plan tomorrow,” Flower began. “You never know what will happen until the moment comes.”

“Eh? What do you mean?” Gumi asked. “I’m sure everyone will follow tomorrow. Look at everyone,” Gumi explained, pointing at the excited classmates. “Look at how eager they are,” she told Flower.

“Nevermind then,” Flower answered in response. Closing her school bag, Flower grab the handle and left her desk. Gumi kept gazing at her, watching her leave the classroom without a word.

Among the commotion in the room, no one ever noticed Miki leaving the room.

~~~

Taking one step out of the building, Rin caught the sight of Gumi tripping over a hose, spilling a bucket filled with water all over her. Smiling and struggling to hold her laughter, Rin walk up to her. Gumi helped herself to a sitting position when Rin stopped right in front of her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Gumi-chan,” Rin cheerfully told her.

“Okay,” Gumi smiled. “Bye-bye!” She waved.

“Bye-bye!” Rin responded and walked away. As she went farther away, Gumi stood up and ran inside to the locker room.

“Good thing I chose to do these stupid chores in my gym clothes,” she spoke to herself. “I’d hate to go to cram school in a soaked uniform.” In a cheerful mood, Gumi skipped to the girls’ changing room. In her rush, she removed her gym top once she reach a bench when the door slammed open. Frightened by the harsh sound, she shrieked.

“Relax, Gumi,” a familiar voice called out. “It’s just me.”

Turning to the door, Gumi pouted. “Kokone, I honestly thought some creep or delinquent had entered,” she scolded her. “Be more gentle with the door!”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Kokone proudly announced. 

“Kokone, are you excited for tomorrow?” Gumi quickly asked with a smile.

“Gumi, has anyone ever told you, you have a warped personality?” Kokone asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Hm?” Gumi was in only her undergarments and taking out her skirt when she heard Kokone’s question. “What to you mean?” she asked in confusion.

“One minute, Gumi, you are as cheerful as a free mockingbird,” Kokone began to explain. “Then, the next second, you are worse than a typhoon with swords and needles pointing outward.”

“Oh! You mean mood swings?” Gumi asked in realization. Kokone nodded. “Miku told me it is normal for girls to have mood swings, especially when they are on their pe-”

“Okay! Too much information!” Kokone interrupted. “Don’t finish that.”

“Kokone, you’re a girl too,” Gumi spoke to her. “There’s nothing wrong with discussing pube-”

“Just change into your clothes!” Kokone yelled and turned away in mixed emotions of frustration and embarassment. “I’ll wait for you outside!” She told her friend before leaving the changing room.

Standing outside, Kokone sighed and calm down. Then she thought of the girl in the room. Kokone loves Gumi. They had been best friends since Kindergarten, and they have promised several times to be friends forever. However, Gumi had been one of Kokone’s two and only friends all throughout the years…

“Kokone!”

There was her other friend throughout the years.

Hearing him, Kokone turned and saw Leon coming towards her. As she smiled and waved at him, Gumi came out of the changing room. When she turn to Kokone to tell her she was ready, she saw Leon. 

“Hi Leon!” she cheer. “Want to walk with us to cram school?” she asked. He nodded, and the three walk away from the school. The walk felt like the past had returned. It was the old days all over again. The three friends were together and speaking happily. For minutes, Kokone felt bliss, forgetting the present day. Once they reach cram school, Leon departed from the two girls and left on his own. Kokone and Gumi entered, when the latter popped the question again.

“Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“Eh,” Kokone muttered, and in truth, she couldn’t decide. Kokone was always honest when it came to her opinions and speaking to Gumi, but somehow, Kokone felt that being honest would create unnecessary problems. The truth is that Kokone was against the boycott. She knows Gumi dislike how Mayu treated Rin the past two weeks, and Gumi is still mad at Mayu for what she said about Leon.

But tomorrow is a ceremony. If a boycott occurred, they can get in huge trouble. Kokone has always been a good student, and she didn’t want to jeopardize that. Then again, Gumi genuinely believe this can teach Mayu to stop with her unfair rule. 

In the end, Kokone nodded, and Gumi smiled. “It will be great!” the green haired girl cheered happily, unaware of Kokone’s true thoughts.

~~~

Skipping merrily down in the streets of the city, Rin happily looks forward to tomorrow. She had never felt this happy before in her life. She never thought her new friend wouldn do such actions for her. First, she was given help for the dance, and now, as payback for ridiculing her, the entire class will skip the dance. Nothing could ruin Rin’s happiness.

“You look so happy, Kagamine-san.”

Except her…

Surprised and shocked by the sudden voice of her teacher, Rin slowly turned around. Standing behind her with a devious smile was Mayu.

“Why are you so happy?”


	26. The Day of the Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi and Leon await the revenge plot to unravel, except...

Friday, the day of the assembly, finally arrived. The plan was set. Tonio was to distract Mayu while everyone else sneak out. It was a plan most agreed with. Nothing can go wrong. Gumi believed nothing will go wrong. With a huge smile, she skipped to school in a cheerful mood. At the front of the school, students discuss the ceremony. Parents arrived to watch the performances. The mood of the school was cheerful and full of energy.

Coming up the stairs, Gumi went straight to her classroom. On her way, she spun around in excitement. Turning at the corner where the room is at, she stopped upon seeing a large crowd surrounding Ann. Usually, she rolled her eyes and walked ahead, ignoring the people who adored the idol. This morning, however, even that didn't stop Gumi's good mood. Smiling, she went up to the crowd and cheered.

"Good morning!"

Very quickly, Ann stared at Gumi in horror and spoke up. "I need to get to class now, bye!" Suddenly, she walked away, leaving behind her fans and her friends. People grew confused, and since Ann was not there anymore, they walked away. The only people left were Prima, Chika, and SeeU. Ignoring Ann's odd behavior, Gumi chose to greet the girls.

"Good morning!"

Gumi didn't like Prima and Chika either, but she tolerated SeeU and even liked her a little. Unlike those two and Ann, SeeU was genuinely nice, but she's very timid and clearly can't be friendly to others unless she wants her friends to scold her. After she greeted them, the three remain silent and stared at the ground. "What's wrong?" Gumi asked.

"Nothing important," Prima quickly look at her and told her while smiling. SeeU and Chika look up and force a smile as well.

"Yeah, nothing important," Chika repeated. Right afterwards, the three walked away as fast as possible. Gumi simply watched them. It was obvious that something happened. They refused to say what it is. Perhaps, Ann knew too.

Behind Gumi, at the corner, Rin came out. She paused when she saw her friend. With a nod and a gulp, Rin took her steps, hoping Gumi will not notice her. A few steps later, she had just walk by her.

"Good morning, Rin-chan!"

She failed.

"Good morning," Rin answered quietly. She tried to be cheerful, but Gumi caught on that something is not right.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Rin answer. It was still obvious. There is something going on that Gumi did not know about. Instead of asking about it, however, she smiled.

"Let's hope the boycott goes well," Gumi said cheerfully. Rin nodded and grin. The two walk again, eventually entering the classroom. Inside, the students were either chatting or reading. The vibe in the room was lovely.

"Good morning everyone!" Gumi cheered. Immediately, all chatter ceased. Every student in the room stared at Gumi and Rin. From the eerie silence, Gumi sensed quickly that something is very wrong. Somehow, everyone in class knew something that Gumi was unaware of.

"Good morning!" Leon scream as he enter the room. "What happened?" He asked as he noticed everyone's stares. "No one here looks so good at all. Nervous about getting revenge on Mayu?" Placing his bag on his desk, Leon sat down and turned around. Tonio sat behind him. "Anyways, we're relying on you," Leon told him happily.

Right away, the bell rang. The students that were standing rush to an empty desk, and the students that were already sitting placed their books underneath their desk. In seconds, the students sat quietly until Mayu enter the room. As she enter, Gumi began the normal, dull, morning routine.

"Stand." Everyone stands. "Bow" Everyone bows while greeting. "Sit." Everyone sits.

"Everyone," Mayu spoke out to her class with her strict voice. "Let's show the audience how excellent the ninth graders in class 3 are by giving them the result of our practice." The class listened, and Gumi turned to Tonio. "We'll be going to the gym now," Mayu announce. "Please move quickly," she commanded. She left her podium, slowly walking to the door. The same time, Tonio stood up from his desk. Some students kept their eye on him. He was the important part of the boycott. He just had to distract Mayu. 

Grabbing his gym bag, he left his desk.

It seems he forgot about the plan.

"Hey, wait," Leon stood up and grabbed Tonio. "Don't you have anything you want to ask?"

"Is that so, Sakurada-kun?" Mayu ask with a small, devious smile as she walk towards him. "If you have something to say, go ahead." Leon was lightly punching his arm and smiling. Tonio stood silent for seconds. Leon anticipated the plan to work. Tonio gave his word.

"No," he said quietly. "I have nothing to say."

Leon's face fell and Gumi wondered if she heard Tonio correctly. He walked forward.

"Wait," Leon called out to him. He attempted to walk towards him, but Mayu stepped in, blocking his way. The two made fierce eye contact. She refused to let him go past her. Angrily, Leon begin to shout, "Everyone, say something!" Silence remained. Gumi look around. Everyone in the room would not say a word.

"Who wants to say something?" Mayu announced. Again, no one said a single word.

"No way!" Leon was shocked by his class's behavior. "Didn't we agree yesterday that we won't do this stupid dance!?" he yelled.

"Are you sure you're not the only one thinking that?" Mayu asked. Leon stare at her angrily. Behind him, Gumi was too stunned to have said anything, but she quickly found her energy. Leon was not alone.

"I was thinking that too," she said quietly while standing. For a few seconds, Mayu stare at her before she ask again.

"Anyone else?"  
Nobody mutter a single word.

"What happened!?" Leon shouted. Even Gumi wonder the same thing. Just yesterday, nearly everyone was so excited about ditching the dance.

"You kids," Mayu announce sternly. "Plotting a boycott? You should be ashamed of yourselves." Gumi and Leon listened while recovering from their shock. "As punishment, you two will not appear in the event. You will stay here and reflect on your actions, and I will have you clean the gym after the ceremony is over." After her stern lecture to the two, she smiled.

"Now, everyone, shall we go?"

Everyone but Leon and Gumi sat silently. Then, in a few seconds, they all grabbed their gym bags and stood up.

"Hey, don't you remember what we decided on yesterday?" Leon grab Yu and ask him. Saying nothing, Yu kept on walking. "Didn't we make a promise?" Leon question Al as he walk by. Mayu stared for a second before she left the room, giving a triumphant smile. Kokone had just stood up when Gumi grabbed her.

"This is cruel!" Gumi told her. "Why?"

Sighing, Kokone answered her. "My parents came. They wanted to see me dance. I can't disappoint them." Turning her head away. Kokone walk out of the room. Ann walk by Gumi, trying to avoid her. Chika tried to do the same, but Gumi grabbed her.

"Didn't we agree that we wouldn't do this dance?" She ask her. Chika turn to her, knowing she had to answer.  
"If you think about it, getting in trouble just because of you two is a little bit…" Chika told her and didn't need to finish. Behind her, Prima and SeeU nodded.

"I thought the boycott was just a joke," Prima add. Quickly, she and Chika ran off. SeeU try to follow, but Gumi grabbed her next.

"We were doing this for Rin-chan," she told her. "Did you think this was a joke too?" Seeing the tearful look in Gumi's eyes, SeeU felt bad and answered her excuse honesty.

"Yesterday, Mayu came to my house," SeeU told her. "She personally invited my mother to come to the ceremony. No matter how much I wanted to ditch the dance, I knew I will get in huge trouble with my mom if I was not there." Gumi stare at her, the words slowly coming into her head. "I'm sorry." 

Turning away, SeeU walk out of the classroom.

Only Gumi, Leon, and Rin were left in the room. Gumi and Leon stood, staring at the door. Both couldn't believe the plan failed horribly. Rin, however, sat quietly, recalling her conversation with Mayu the previous day.

"If you don't want anyone to know your secret…"

For her secret, Rin had no choice. While Gumi and Leon were still looking away, Rin grab her gym bag and quietly stood up. Then, she walked to the back door, just when Leon turned around and saw her.

"Rin! You too!?"

Gumi turned around quickly. Seeing her new friend walking away with her gym bag, the same friend she was fighting for in the first place, she stared in disbelief. Rin look down quietly.

"Sorry." she muttered. Then she left, jogging away from the room, leaving behind her friends.


	27. If She Stares At Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi and Leon are stunned when not only their plan backfires, but even their friend seemingly betrays them...

“You gotta be kidding me!!”

As he scream, Leon kick the closest desk to him. Gumi flinched slightly to his rage before she walk towards Rin’s desk. ‘Why?’ she wonder. Opening the desk, she pulled out Rin’s sketchbook. Skimming through the pages, Gumi found the drawing she was looking for.

“My Best Friend” was written across the page, and several chibis of Gumi surrounded the words. Rin really did view Gumi as a friend. Why, then? The boycott was for Rin’s sake, and in the end, she just left them to join the class.

Everything that happened was breaking Gumi. Tears were spilling. She tried to hold it in. Instead, she found herself sobbing. Dropping the book, Gumi gave in and wail. That was enough to break Leon out of his anger. Turning around, he nearly gape at the sight of his cheerful friend crying. Walking towards her, he pulled her up and grabbing a chair nearby, he sat down and pulled her to his lap.

“Hey, don’t cry,” he soothed. He pet her hair as an attempt to calm her down. It was not very effective. Gumi kept sobbing. Leon sighed. Nonetheless, he kept trying. He did not stop until he heard footsteps coming closer. When the soft sound stop, he look up and saw her at the doorway.

“What happened?” he asked. Pausing at her sobfest, Gumi turned her head to the girl at the door.

“Nothing,” Flower answered. “I told her I was not going to dance as well.” Coming towards them, Flower took out a handkerchief from her gym bag. “I told you,” she began as she handed the hankie to Gumi. “When the time comes, we don’t know what will happen.” Slowly, Gumi accepted it and brought it to her face.

“Why did everyone betray us?” Leon ask.

After several seconds, Flower gave him the answer. “Yesterday, Mayu went to everyone’s house.” Listening, Gumi removed the soft rag and stare at Flower. “She definitely went to Sakurada’s house,” she went on. “Perhaps, she threatened to give him a failing grade if he did something.”

“Then, what happened with Kokone?” Gumi asked.

“Mayu probably told her she will raise her grades up more, and she had told her parents about the ceremony. Kokone wants to please everyone and keep her grades up.”

“Then the others too?” Leon question.

“If they boycott,” Flower started her answer. “Mayu will tell their parents their secrets. Mayu is using everyone’s weaknesses.”

“How did she know that we were planning to boycott?” Gumi spoke softly, asking that question. She was no longer crying.

“Possibly.” Flower began. “Kagamine-chan might have said something.” After a second of breathing, she continued. “If Mayu stares at her, she can’t lie. Maybe Mayu threatened to reveal her secret if she didn’t tell her what was going on.”

“Did she tell you something too?” Gumi asked.

Flower nodded. “I don’t care about it though.”

“Are you okay with that?” Leon questioned. “Mayu will bully you again.”

“I don’t care,” Flower told him. “I rather clean than do that ridiculous dance.”

Gumi laughed. “Is it really that stupid.”

“It is,” Flower said, then she went to her desk, pulled out her book, sat down and began to read.

“I’m fine now,” Gumi said softly, and Leon heard her.

“Are you sure?” Leon asked. Gumi stood up.

“I’m not giving up,” she told him. “I’m going to keep fighting.”

“But Rin betrayed us”

“But Mayu used Rin’s weakness. I can’t let her use our weaknesses as a weapon. Also, we’re not alone Leon,” she continued. “Because Flower is with us too.” Leon nodded. Gumi was right. Flower did boycott too. So it must be that she was on their side.

Flower kept reading, ignoring the two.

~~~

After everyone left the gym, Flower, Gumi, and Leon went in to clean. They have began to put away all the chairs when they decided to have fun with it. It had became a race on who can place the chairs away the fastest. Once there was a wide space left, they race each other and see who can sweep the floors the fastest.

This was how they turn such a bothersome chore into a fun past time. Laughter ring throughout the gym. Even Flower was having fun, and she never had fun with anyone. When they put the chairs away again, they ran to get the last of the chairs.

“I won!”  
“You cheated!”  
“I’m the best!”  
“You suck!”  
“You’re a loser”  
“You’re a meanie.”  
“You two are way too slow.”  
“Be quiet.”

“You seem to be getting along well.”

Her voice echoed throughout the gym. Gumi, Flower, and Leon look up and they saw Mayu, standing there towards them.

“Open your eyes,” she spoke loudly. “Uniting the class is impossible.” The three students gazed at their teacher, feeling bitterness towards her and her words. “You may feel free to go against me,” she continued. “But you have no one to rely on. Not parents. Not teachers. Not friends either.”

The three listen to Mayu, not wanting to accept her words.

“Also, don’t think I would keep quiet,” she spoke on. “To make sure you don’t try to plot something again, I’m assigning a supervisor to you three.” Turning around, Mayu walked towards the gym doors.

“Please come in.” 

At that moment, she entered the room. Looking at her, Gumi and Leon stare in shock while Flower kept her usual stoic look. She kept walking towards them until she stood right next to Mayu.

“Let me introduce your supervisor, Kagamine Rin.”


	28. New Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to the plot to boycott the dance, Mayu creates a new system for her class. SeeU's parents continue to bicker, and Gumi is warned to stop defying Mayu.

“I was right.”

SeeU laid next to her sister Uni in the latter’s bedroom. SeeU had told her sister of what had happened to the class during the ceremony. When she had told her the plan to boycott and Mayu’s surprise visit to her parents, Uni figured something will go wrong.

“If you guys try that hard, it will get worse,” Uni told her. Then suddenly, she began to cough violently. Uni went and grabbed her inhaler behind her and used it.

“Are you okay?” SeeU asked. “Does it hurt?”

“Worried about other people?” Uni sighed. “Your class is a mess right now. It seems like no one will dare disobey her again.” 

“I don’t want to think that,” SeeU told her sister. “I don’t want to think that anyone will follow her.”

“You say that, yet you do the same thing,” Uni remarked. “If you don’t want to follow her, you would have boycotted too.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the younger sister commented. “Our class always gets along, no matter how much Mayu bullies us.”

Just then, they heard voices from the first floor.

“What is that perfume I smell?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“What is this!?”

“They’re fighting again,” SeeU said dully. 

“Do you have homework?” Uni asked, an attempt to get her sister to ignore their parents.

“Oh yeah!” SeeU stepped out of her sister’s bed and went out the room. Three steps after she walk out, Uni began to cough violently again. SeeU ran back in. “Sis, are you okay!?” She asked as she ran to the bed.

“Here I go again, coughing,” Uni remarked. “I feel bad again. I made you worry.”

~~~

Gumi and Kokone were walking to school again when they encounter Miki and Oliver. Cheering hello to them, Gumi called to the both of them and had them walk with her and Kokone. Before they arrived. Gumi and Kokone were talking about things they like. With the other two, Gumi chattered endlessly, trying to get to know them. That was when Oliver finally brought it up.

“Sorry about before,” he announced. “We didn’t betray you.”

“Eh?” Gumi was confused.

“It’s about the boycott,” Kokone enlightened her. 

“Yeah,” Miki spoke. “We were threatened by her so we didn’t have a choice.”

“We’re on your side,” Kokone told her best friend.

“I know that,” Gumi smiled. 

“You should stop disobeying Ms. Akuno though,” Kokone commanded her. 

“Nothing good could come out of it,” Miki spoke next.

“That’s right, when you touch a wolf…” Oliver tried to tell them a saying. “Haha, I don’t remember the rest.” The girls laughed. They reach the school where Mr. Ueki was standing, saying hello to the students. He spotted the four walking together.

“Your dance was wonderful,” he spoke up, recognizing them. “Good job.”

~~~

The bell rang, and Mayu enter the classroom. The students rushed to their seats as Mayu walk to the podium. Once Mayu was there, Flower started the morning ritual.

“Stand.” Everyone stand. “Bow.” Everyone bow and greeted each other. “Sit.” Everyone sat down. Mayu observed the classroom. The representative desk where Gumi and Leon sat at has a sign that said “representative.” In front of them, Flower sat on a desk, and it also has the representative sign. This was their punishment. They were to be representatives for a month. 

Mayu look at everyone in the room. “Starting from today,” she began to speak. “I’m abolishing the test you have taken every Monday.” Everyone began to cheer. Guess obeying Mayu and doing the dance was a great thing. Now they didn’t have to take the test they were given every Monday. “From now on,” Mayu spoke loudly, making sure everyone was listening to her.

“There will be a test by the end of every day.”

Eyes widened. Faces were filled with shock. Did they hear that right? Every day?

“Those who do not finish will not be permitted to leave.”

The complaining began.

“No way!”  
“I have cram school.”  
“I have a club to go to.”  
“I have swimming lessons.”  
“This can’t be happening!”

“Regardless of how others tempted you to do this,” Mayu began her announcement. “This is punishment for those who attempted to disobey me at the ceremony.” Cue several students throwing their glares directly at Gumi and Leon. The two never noticed though. 

Mayu then passed out papers to the students. The ones at the first row took a paper and passed the rest to those behind them. When they got a paper, each student read it. 

“Just so I don’t have to repeat it again,” Mayu began to speak. “From today, you’ll be separated into groups.” Listening, the students read the paper and searched for their names and what group they were in. “Check the papers you received and arrange your seats in groups.” After reading, the students began to move so they sat with the people in their group.

Group 1  
Sakurada Tonio  
Shinzou Kokone  
Prima Warburn  
Takanashi Yu

Group 2:  
Miriam Stockley  
Nekomura Iroha  
Manabe Kyo  
Kamui Gakupo

Group 3:  
Utatane Piko  
Bruno Amaro  
Itou Chika  
Megurine Luka

Group 4:  
Furukawa Miki  
Oliver Stein  
Shion Kaito  
Kim Dahee

Group 5:  
Ann Jody  
Luo Tianyi  
Al King  
Takako Wil

Group 6:  
Kagamine Rin  
Nakajima Megumi  
Satou Leon  
Hanazono Flower

“If something were to happen, like a quarrel or some sort, I’ll hold the group responsible,” Mayu informed her class. A few students began to complain. “We have no choice,” Mayu continued. “If I don’t do that, we’ll never get rid of the people with a bad influence.” Everyone was silent, taking in her word.

“Sensei,” Tonio stood up, ready to question his teacher. 

“What is it?”

“What will you do when you hold a group responsible?”

A smile formed on Mayu’s face. “You’ll understand in a second.” Everyone was afraid of what could happen.

“The first name listed in the groups are the group leaders. Watch over your group and make sure there is no trouble.” Looking at the paper, Gumi turned to look at Rin, and she was giving her a look of death. “If you find out that people from other groups are plotting something, let me know immediately. If you do so, I will award you. For example, the group with the three representatives is most likely to do something.”

After hearing this, Leon slapped his hands on the desk, and he slowly stood up. Everyone kept their eyes on him. Was he going to rebel. Was he going to say something to Mayu.

Leon had decided to be a little silly, for he got tired of Mayu for a bit.

“Ka-chang!” he cheered, and a few students dropped their heads to their desks, unable to believe what he did in such a serious time.

“Be quiet, Satou-kun, you’re causing trouble for your group members and you’re disrupting class.”

Rin had boldly scolded him in front of the class with such a cold voice. Gumi couldn’t help but look at her in shock. What has her friend become?

“That’s the right attitude,” Mayu complimented. “Good luck as leader,” she told her.

“I will,” Rin answered with a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me explain this for a bit. The setting of this story is in Japan, and there are several non-Japanese vocaloids in here (and a few English ones with Japanese surnames too). Let me explain some of these characters.  
> SeeU is half Japanese. Her mother is Galaco (a Japanese vocaloid). Her father is Korean (and I have rarely explained who he is. Honestly, he's an OC, since there's like, barely any male Japanese vocaloids..)  
> Tonio has English blood but was adopted by a Japanese couple when he was a baby, hence why he has a Japanese last name.  
> Prima is half Japanese, as made clear that Zunko is her mother, and she has lived in Japan all her life. Her father (another person I made up) is English.  
> Miriam is from an English family and has a Japanese stepfather who owns a sushi restaurant. That's why Miriam lives in Japan, but she uses her mother's surname.  
> Bruno is from Spain, hence his Spanish last name. He also lived in Japan all his life.  
> Oliver is from England, and he moved to Japan when he was younger.  
> Ann is from Sweden, and her mother is Lola. As already mentioned in an earlier chapter, Ann has lived in Japan since she was little.  
> Tianyi is Chinese, and she moved to Japan when she was younger.  
> Al is from America, and he moved to Japan when he was younger.  
> Leon may or may not be entirely Japanese in this fic. I'm leaving this open for interpretation because, as revealed in an earlier chapter, his mother slept with a lot of guys. I'll confirm right now that his mother is a Japanese vocaloid, but we don't know exactly who Leon's father, and the same goes for Rana, who is his sister in this story.


	29. I Never Said A Word!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin denies ever being friends with Gumi, as well as denying ever admitting about the boycott to Mayu. Soon, the truth comes to light when the cost of of revealing the boycott is awarded with special treatment...

“Ahhhhh hahaha!!”

Racing towards the ball, Leon kicks it with all of his energy. The ball bounces to the walls and rolls back on the floor of the gym.

“Satou-kun, please work seriously,” Rin scolded him with her serious tone. Group 6 had to sweep the floor of the gym. Gumi and Flower had been cleaning diligently. Leon was doing fine, but eventually he got tired of just cleaning, so with a ball in the middle of the gym, he went and kick it with all his might. This had earned him a scolding from the girl who was once on their side.

“Shut up,” Leon responded back to her in a cold tone. Dropping his sweeper, he walk up to Rin with an irritated face. “You’re the one that told Mayu we were going to boycott.”

“It wasn’t me,” Rin told him. She tried to avoid his face as he got near her. He kept talking to her in anger.

“Did you forget why we were trying to do that? Gumi-chan was trying to help you!”

“Stop it Leon,” Gumi attempted to calm her friend down, and she walk up to them.

“Yeah. Leave her alone,” Flower intervene. 

“Aren’t you angry?” Leon asked the two girls.

“She was threatened by Mayu,” Gumi told him.

“She had no choice but to tell her about the boycott,” Flower added.

“I never said a word!”

Rin finally exploded, and the three stare at her in shock. “I never told Mayu about the boycott.” Everyone took in Rin’s words and were surprised. If Rin didn’t tell Mayu, then who did?

Silence took over. Leon walk away, not wanting to deal with Rin anymore. Flower continue cleaning the floor. Gumi then had an idea.

“Hey, Rin-chan, how about we show Hana-chan your drawings?” Flower heard her nickname and she paused in her cleaning, looking at the two. Rin stare at Gumi. “Your drawings are really nice. Hey, how about we go to your house and look at your drawings? Won’t that be fun?”

“You just want to let my guard down,” Rin answered, speaking as if she and Gumi had never been friends. 

Gumi was confused. “What are you talking about?”

“You just want to find my bad points and tell Mayu about them.”

“Why would I do that?” Gumi questioned her. “We promised to be friends.” 

“There’s no way that ever happened,” Rin denied. 

“Rin-chan…”

“Stop chatting and continue cleaning,” Rin scolded her. She walk away from her and went on to clean. Flower just witnessed the scene with no emotion. Anger was boiling inside Leon. Gumi felt crushed. Her own friend had denied ever having a friendship with her. With a negative feeling inside her, Gumi resumed cleaning.

Outside the gym, Miki saw everything.

~~~

“Hey, sensei.”

Miki was getting private tutoring from her own teacher, Mayu. This was a part of her deal. As long as Miki served as her pet, Mayu will help her improve her grades. After finishing their tutoring, Mayu had dismissed Miki, but the latter had wanted to know some information.

“What is it?”

“The representatives believe Kagamine-san told you about the boycott.”

“Is that so?” Mayu asked. “But we know Kagamine-kun did no such thing, now do we?” Mayu told Miki, who knew the answer to who revealed the boycott to Mayu. 

“What did you do to Kagamine-san to make her not boycott?”

“Simple, I told her if she boycott, she will have to reveal her secret.”

“I see…” Miki continue to recall Rin’s behavior towards the representatives. “You know, Rin denies ever being friends with Gumi now.”

“Is that so?” Mayu smile. “I guess she is now on our side.”

“Sensei,” Miki found the courage to ask this question. “Is Kagamine-san your pet too?”

“What are you saying, Furukawa-san? Only you are my pet.” Mayu then walk up to her student and softly caressed her face. “You have been a wonderful pet too,” Mayu told her.

“So the tutoring to help your grades, to avoid being a representative, no one in this school ever bullying you anymore. It’s all your reward for telling me about the boycott.”

~~~

When everyone was discussing the idea of a boycott, Miki sat there, remembering Mayu’s words.

“There are many benefits to being friends with me.”

The next time she and Mayu talk, the latter had promised her that by being her pet, she will put an end to the bullying. Believing her word, Miki agreed. Suddenly, right after that day, the bullying was suddenly dropping. People barely harrassed her anymore. If anything, people were beginning to look at Miki in fear. That was when she realized Mayu has gone to them and did what she needed to do. Then the next time they met, Mayu opened another offering.

“Right now, Nakajima-san is the most likely to do something against me,” Mayu began, speaking of Gumi. “If you hear about her plotting something, let me know immediately and I will award you. That’s right, how about I tutor you and help your grades improve. That way, you will never have to be a representative with Jody.”

To be a representative with Ann, Miki hated that idea. It had sounded so awful. Miki would do anything to avoid that. But to tell Mayu if Gumi was plotting something against her, Miki didn’t know if she could do it. At that moment, Gumi had suggested a boycott, and almost everyone was agreeing to it.

This is bad. 

Miki didn’t like this idea either.

True, this was done for Rin’s sake, but Miki’s parents were coming. They would be greatly disappointed if Miki had decided to boycott just because her teacher was being silly.

But Gumi was her friend…

Or so she believe…

“You shouldn’t believe that Nakajima-san wants to be your friend,” Mayu had told her before. “She just feels sorry for you. She really doesn’t care about you.”

But… Gumi telling her she will protect her….

“She really doesn’t care about you.”

But… to be stuck with Ann…

Ann…

Miki hates Ann. She will never forgive her for what she did to her two years ago…

To be stuck with Ann…

And then, perhaps Gumi truly did only feel sorry for her…

Gumi was not her friend…

With that in mind, Miki grabbed her stuff and left the room. No one notice her leaving. Walking towards the hallways, Miki went straight to the teacher’s lounge. No one bothered to say anything to her anymore, for fear that Mayu will come back to them and haunt them. When she reach the place where Mayu was, Miki opened the door, and there she was.

“Oh, Furukawa-san, is there something you need?”

To avoid all the hate… 

This was Miki’s choice.

“Sensei, they are planning to boycott the dance.”


	30. Mayu's Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayu's pet continues to wonder whether they really did the right thing.

“Only you are my pet.”

Miki recalled Mayu’s words as she walk down the streets of the busy city. It didn’t feel right. The way Miki look at it, it seems like Rin had became Mayu’s pet as well. Not only that, Rin also had some sort of connection with Gumi, just like Miki did. Now, Gumi had neither Rin or Miki to rely on. Of course, Gumi knows nothing about Miki. No ones anything about Miki being Mayu’s pet at all.

Then there was the second question Miki had asked Mayu.

“With the way you split the groups, sensei, it’s as if there were two boys and two girls in each group.”

“Exactly,” Mayu answered.

“But we couldn’t make it two boys and two girls in every group though, since there are eleven boys and thirteen girls in our class.”

“No.”

“No?”

“There are twelve boys and twelve girls in our classroom.”

Miki is still confused by this. Twelve boys and twelve girls? But there are only eleven boys in class and thirteen girls. The way Mayu had said it, it was as if one girl was really a boy. But Miki didn’t believe that. There were thirteen girls. However, Mayu might know something about someone. When Miki had left, Mayu had told her to ponder about it. Miki did and well…

She didn’t get it.

The only way there would truly be twelve boys and twelve girls in the class is if one girl was really a boy, but who could possibly be male? Every girl in the class appear to be feminine. It was impossible to think that even one of them was actually a boy. And if one of the thirteen girls was really a boy, then who could it possibly be?

Every girl in her class has a feminine build, so it’s already difficult to see exactly who could be male. There was no way one of them was male.

Maybe Mayu was just tricking Miki.

She couldn’t tell. Perhaps Mayu is just calling one of the girls a boy. Perhaps Mayu has decided to call Gumi a male, with Gumi having a bit of a tomboyish attitude. But that’s rather insulting, now isn’t it?

Miki really should put her focus on her surroundings rather than on Mayu’s question, because Miki had bumped into a girl she didn’t know.

“I’m sorry!” Miki apologize with a flush face. She really needed to focus on her surroundings better. She bumped into Mayu before, and she even didn’t hear the bell too with her deep thinking.

“It’s okay,” the girl she bumped into told her and turned around. “Hey, you’re cute. Are you a middle school student?” She asked. Miki nod and she glance at the girl in front of her. 

This girl had very long green hair with a little ponytail at the side of her head. Her hair fell down to her waist and it curled at the ends. Her eyes were a darker shade of green. The outfit she was wearing was a school uniform, Miki could tell. She wore a navy blue button jacket with a matching blue skirt. Thigh high white socks were worn with normal brown shoes.

“Are you a high school student?” Miki found herself asking.

“Of course I am!” the girl had answered proudly. “I’m a senior actually.” 

“Nana!”

“I’m over here!” The girl respond to a sweet voice calling for her. “Hey! You should hang out with me and my friends!” Nana exclaimed to Miki. “I want to get to know you.”

“Eh?” Miki was a little surprised by this. No one ever wanted to get to know Miki, especially someone who went to a different school. “Why?” Miki couldn’t help but ask.

“Because you’re cute,” Nana answer her. At that moment, two girls ran next to Nana. Both wore the same uniform. One girl has long blue hair in pigtails with matching blue eyes. The other had long pink hair in a ponytail. “Hey, you guys, I met a cute middle school student just now, can we please take her with us?”

“Nana, how many times are we going to do this?” The pink hair girl sigh. “We did this with several people before.”

“Nana wanting to know strangers is cute,” the blue hair girl commented. She then took a step towards Miki. “Nice to meet you, I’m Aoki Lapis.”

Miki bowed. “I’m Furukawa Miki.”

“Let’s go!” Nana sling an arm around Miki and they walk off, Lapis and the other girl following. “I’m Macne Nana,” she began to speak. “I might be weird since I like to talk to strangers I just meet, but I like meeting new people and making new friends,” she continued. “I go to Zerogi high school with my friends Lapis and Uni. Where do you go to?”

“Um…” Miki hesitated at first. “I go to Bokaro Junior High.”

“Amazing!” Nana exclaimed. “Do you have any friends?”

“Not really…”

“Aw… how come?”

“No one really likes me at school.”

“Aw, but why? You seem so cute.”

“Um…” Miki hesitate again. “Someone at school spread a bad rumor about me.” That was the equivalent to the truth. As Miki said her answer. Uni listened quietly.

People aren’t what others claim to be.

If Furukawa Miki was so violent and hateful as her sister SeeU described her to be, how come she seems to be so polite and soft spoken?


	31. You Don't Know Someone Until...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning that Uni not only met Miki but is fond of her, SeeU is torn between believing her older sister or staying loyal to her best friend.

“Tadaima!” SeeU shouted as she entered her home.

“Welcome home,” her mother cheerfully greeted her. “Dinner is on the table. I just finished cooking.”

“Okay.” Taking off her shoes, SeeU ran up to her room to put her bag away. Then she returned downstairs to the kitchen where her sister, Uni was eating at. “Are you well, Onee-chan?” SeeU ask politely, knowing that several nights before, Uni’s asthma had acted up badly.

“I feel better now,” Uni told her little sister. “I was able to go out today with my friends,” she said as she ate at her own slow pace.

After biting off her food, SeeU responded. “That’s good!”

“Nana-chan brought another stranger with us today,” Uni continued. “I believe you might know her, she goes to your school.”

“Really?” SeeU was curious now. “Who is that person.”

“Her name is Furukawa Miki.”

SeeU had just finished swallowing and she went to grab meat off her plate when she heard that name. Her hold on her chopsticks grew unsteady, and she drop the meat she attempted to grab.

“You spoke to her?” SeeU ask. “Don’t you remember that she attacked Ann back in the first year of middle school?”

“I remember,” Uni answered. “But I thought, ‘I should get to know this girl and see how vicious and violent she is.’” 

“And?”

“And what?”

“Don’t you think she’s horrible?”

“Do you want to know what I am thinking?” 

“I do.”

“I believe you will hate me though.”

SeeU paused in her picking up food with her chopsticks and turn to look at her sister. She had just placed rice in her mouth after saying such a thing.

“How could I hate you? You’re my wonderful older sister.”

“If you really want to know…” Uni trailed off. “Let me finish eating first.” SeeU nod and she chose to finish eating as well. When both girls were done eating, Uni went upstairs to her bedroom. SeeU followed her. Uni walk into her room and sat on her bed. She pat the spot next to her, signalling to SeeU to sit there. Closing the door, SeeU sat down next to her sister.

“I think.” Uni began slowly. “Your friend Ann might be lying about her.”

Hearing those words, SeeU turn to her sister. “What?”

“I think Ann might be overexaggering about Miki,” Uni went on. “Miki was so sweet and respectful.”

“It can’t be!” SeeU exclaimed. “There’s no way a person like that can be sweet!”

“SeeU,” Uni spoke to her sister. “I think you need to get to know Miki before you say she is horrible.”

“But sis,” SeeU couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I saw her attack Ann! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Maybe Ann had upset Miki.”

“But Ann said Miki accused her of buying people with her popularity!”

“I honestly can’t blame Miki for thinking that. I mean, Ann is quite famous after all.”

“But Ann would never do that!?” SeeU tried to defend her own friend.

“Dahee,” Uni look at her sister’s eyes and call her by her real name. “You don’t know someone until you spend time with them and get to know them.”

“Uni…” SeeU couldn’t believe it. Her own sister was defending the one person that dared hate her own best friend. It felt as if Uni was betraying SeeU like this. With these feelings, SeeU stood up and fled from the room. She ran straight to her own room, and closed the door behind her. 

There was no way SeeU could believe Ann was lying about Miki. With that thought in mind, she grabbed her cell phone and went to message Ann.

To: Ann-chan  
My sister met Miki today… she says she is nice and didn’t believe me when I told her she hurt you.

Sending the message, SeeU placed her phone down. SeeU open her bag and took her homework out to do. Then her phone rings. Grabbing it, she looks at the caller. SeeU answered the call.

“Ann-chan?”

“What do you mean your sister didn’t believe you!?”

It was easy to tell that Ann was pissed. SeeU tried to calm her down and explain.

“I tried to tell her about Miki and what she did to you and she defended her.”

“Are you serious!? First Mayu, and now your sister!?”

“Mayu?” SeeU was curious. What did Ann mean by Mayu?

“Did you know, SeeU. that our teacher is siding with that thing!?”

“Really!?” SeeU couldn’t believe it. Mayu was on Miki’s side too? But then, Mayu did seem to hate Ann after all.

“And now, to hear that your sister fell for that beast…” SeeU heard a sigh at the other end of the call. “That thing must have deceived your sister, SeeU.”

“It might be that,” SeeU answered. “But she also seems to think that you are using your fame to get everything you want.”

Silence took over the call. SeeU couldn’t tell if she had just offended her friend or not.

“SeeU,” a serious voice came from Ann. “Do you believe your sister?”

“Huh?”

“If you believe that I’m doing such a thing, I won’t forgive you.”

“What? Of course I don’t believe such a thing!” SeeU tried to calm her friend.

“You know better, SeeU. You were there on that day. You saw how that beast was to me.”

“I know!”

“Listen to me, SeeU. If you dare side with that beast, I will never forgive you.” With that, Ann hung up.

SeeU stare at her phone. Of course, she didn’t believe Ann used her popularity like that, but then, SeeU sometimes wonder if Ann was even the same girl she befriended back in elementary school. At times, SeeU even dared thought that maybe, the popularity was in Ann’s head, but she never dared say such a thing to her. If SeeU ever say that, Ann would never forgive her.


	32. Piko, Rin, and Tianyi's Wallet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi learns that Rin's changed personality has not only affected her but has affected others when the former is confronted by Rin's other friends. Tianyi's boasting over her new wallet thickens the resentment between her and Ann.

May came to an end. June had arrived, and it brought unhappy weather along. In the first week of June, it poured outside. Thanks to the ongoing rain, students had been bringing their umbrellas to school. 

It was also nearly the end of the punishment for the representatives. Mayu had made it clear that they were to clean every day for a month, and now, it was almost over. But then, Mayu had also made it clear that the next group to be representatives will either be the group that scores the lowest, or the group that causes trouble. 

It look like group 6 might have to clean longer. Even though Flower always achieve a perfect score, Leon rarely tries at all, so he often gets a low score or a zero even if he is extremely lazy. In addition, every day, Rin had been reporting to Mayu, telling her that Gumi or Leon were misbehaving, even if it was an overexaggeration. Of course, Rin wants to look good in front of Mayu, so she sucks up to her and bosses her group around all the time.

In addition, there has been a test every day at the end of the school day. It has been the same every day so far. Students like Tonio and Miriam would work as hard as they can and they would know most of the answers. Students like Ann and Iroha would be irritated with the test but would have no choice but to take it. Everyone took the test silently. Even Leon took the test too, though sometimes, he would doodle on the test too, just to be silly.

Always, Flower would finish first. She would complete every single question. When she finished, she would stand and walk to Mayu’s desk. At first, everyone else would look up and stare in wonder. Now, most have been used to Flower completing first. Some still look up, wondering if there would ever be a time where Flower answer a question wrong. When Flower came up to Mayu, the latter would check all of her answers. She would always give the same answer.

“Everything is correct.”

Usually, Flower would just nod and go back to her desk. On this one rainy day, however, Mayu finally said something to her.

“It’s too bad, Hanazono-san.”

Hearing her teacher, Flower look at her.

“If you weren’t a representative, you would have been able to go home now.” Flower simply stare at Mayu. “If you apologize for disobeying me, I may forgive you.”

Mayu spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. Some people look up, curious to hear Flower’s response. 

“I’ll pass,” Flower said with her androgynous voice.

Mayu gave her usual smile. “Then please wait until everyone finishes.”

~~~

Gumi ditched her chores again. This was expected, since her commitment to the basketball club is important to her. She knows Rin will scold her again, but Gumi doesn’t care. Leon has been willing to cover for her. Her coach didn’t mind. She wants Gumi to come as much as she can. Gumi’s playmates have even been supportive of her.

After practice ended, Gumi got dressed into her uniform. Leaving the school, she stepped out, school bag in one hand, umbrella in the other. As she walk passed the school gate and turn, she saw Piko and Gakupo, standing out in the rain with their umbrellas. Curious to why they were out there, Gumi chose to call out to them.

“Gakupo-kun! Piko-kun!”

Hearing her, the boys turn to her. Gakupo kept a friendly smile. Piko, however, gave Gumi a look of vengeance. Dropping his bag and umbrella, Piko marched towards the girl. Gumi just stood there, wondering what Piko was doing, and why was he glaring at her? What did Gumi do? Gakupo stood there too, wondering what his friend was doing. He said he was only going to talk to Gumi, but it seem like he lost his cool upon seeing her.

Then suddenly, Gumi’s face was smacked harshly by Piko’s hand. Before Gumi and Gakupo had time to react, Piko violently grab Gumi’s arms and pull her close to him, leaving the girl to drop her bag and umbrella in surprise.

“You bitch!” Piko began to yell at her. “It’s all your fault Rin is so cold now!” Letting go of one of Gumi’s arms, Piko proceed to smack her again. At first stunned by the sudden shock, Gakupo snap out of it and went towards the two.

“Piko, stop!” He yelled.

“If it weren’t for you,” Piko went on, slapping Gumi again and his grip on her arm tightened. “Rin would never be so mean and coldhearted. Because of you, Rin has changed! And it’s all your fault!”

“Stop it!”

Grabbing Piko, Gakupo attempt to pull him away from Gumi. As Gakupo rip Piko away from her, Gumi sink down to the ground, allowing Piko’s words to sink in.

“If it weren’t for you… because of you, Rin is coldhearted!”

“Aren’t you mad, Gakupo!?” Piko yelled as Gakupo held him back. “It’s because of this girl that our friend’s behavior has changed!”

“You said you were going to talk to her because we believe she might know something about Rin’s change in behavior!” Gakupo scolded him. “What made you think it was okay to hit her like that!? She’s a girl!”

“To hell if she’s a girl!” Piko screamed. “It’s because of her that Rin has changed! She was the last person Rin hanged out with! She must have done something to her!” Piko continue. “Nakajima Megumi, are you listening!? You were the last person to be there for Rin, so you must have done something to change her!”

Gumi sat there quietly. She didn’t know what to say to Piko. Free from Gakupo’s grip, Piko went towards Gumi again, only for his friend to grab his wrist.

“Let go, Gakupo!” Piko yelled.

“If I do that, you’ll hurt her again.”

“I’m teaching her a lesson!”

“You’re making a scene!”

At last, Piko finally realized that they were out in public. When he finally look around his surroundings, he realized there were several students watching in horror. Some students have stayed after school for their clubs, so for them to walk out and witness this scene, it was just pure shock to them.

“What’s going on?”  
“What did the girl do?”  
“Why did he hit her?”

Sighing, Piko turn around and walk past Gakupo. Grabbing his umbrella and bag, Piko walk away, acting as if nothing ever happened. 

Gumi sat there, allowing the rain to hit her. She didn’t move. She was thinking of everything Piko said. She thought so much she didn’t care to notice her face was red in pain and her arms were bruised now. Gumi just thought of Piko and Rin.

She didn’t know Rin’s sudden change had also affected her other friends. Gumi had thought that Rin was being mean only towards her. She had no idea she had also been distant from Gakupo, Kaito, and Piko as well.

Soon, the rain no longer hit her. That got Gumi’s attention. She look up and she saw Gakupo holding his umbrella, holding it in front of him, shielding her from the rain.

“I’m sorry,” Gakupo apologize. “Piko told me he was going to talk to you. I never expect him to lose his cool like that.” 

After a moment, Gumi finally spoke. “It’s okay,” she whispered, and she finally stood up. 

“Listen, Nakajima-san,” Gakupo spoke again. “I don’t think Rin’s behavior is your fault. I’m sure Rin was just threatened by our teacher and decided that sucking up to her was the way to go.”

“But,” Gumi said softly. “She’s been cold towards you too?”

Gakupo sadly nodded. “Ever since the ceremony, Rin has been distant towards us,” Gakupo began. “Anytime we invite her to hang out, she would accuse us of wanting to know her weak spots so we can tell Mayu. Finally, last weekend, we got her to hang out with us, but that turn out to be a disaster. Kaito badmouthed Mayu again, and usually, Piko is the one who defends her.” Gakupo sighed. “This time, however, Rin accused Kaito of wanting to defy her, and she threatened to tell Mayu to watch out for him. Kaito didn’t know what to say, because Rin was never like that. Even Piko and I were shocked by this.”

Gumi listened, When Gakupo finished, she finally asked, “Then why?” Gakupo listen to her this time. “Why is Rin like this now?” Gumi’s eyes began to tear up as she spoke. “Rin was so nice to everyone, even if Piko bullied her just for a little bit. Rin always show her drawings to us. Rin was always smiling. She was willing to practice dancing with me. She agreed to it as long as we were friends.” The tears were falling down her face now. Gumi couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Why is Rin so different now!?” She sobbed out. “She’s always bossing us around. She acts like she’s the queen. She tells Mayu we’re trying to be difficult to her. She even denies ever being friends with me. Why!?”

Gumi stood there, and she let her tears out. Dropping his umbrella, Gakupo walk towards the green haired girl and he held her in his embrace. The rain continue to fall as Gakupo kept the crying Gumi in his arms.

From across the street, Miki witness the entire event, from when Gumi walk out of the school, to Piko beating her, to Gumi’s sobbing, to Gakupo hugging her. With a fallen face, Miki realize just how effective her telling Mayu about the boycott really is. At this point, Miki question Gumi’s morals again.

She realize that perhaps, Gumi might have actually cared for her afterall.

In the end, Miki was a weakling and she chose to be her teacher’s pet rather than accept that she might have a friend for her.

~~~

The following day, Mayu took her class to the art room and gave them a job of making clay sculptures. After giving them said assignment, Mayu left the room, allowing her students to converse while making art with their clay. For once, this put the class in a rather cheerful mood, free and away from their cold teacher.

“Hey, Luka-chan!” Tianyi call for her friend’s attention. Luka pause in her artwork and turn to her friend who was in the table next to her. Pulling her shirt up, Tianyi went in her skirt and pull out a blue wallet with a decorative design. 

“Oh, that’s cute!” Luka compliment the object.

“How, that’s pretty!” Al exclaimed.

“Where did you get that cool wallet from?” Wil ask with curiosity.

“My aunt got it for me while she was shopping in a fashionable part of Beijing,” Tianyi explained.

“Amazing!” Al cheered.

“So cool!” Wil comment.

“Luo-san, King-san, Takako-san, please focus on your work,” Ann, trying to be like a leader, scold her group members.

“Why are you so stuck up just because you’re the leader?” Tianyi ask rudely. “Heck, how come you’re the leader? It’s bad enough that you act like the queen of the school.”

Gumi turn from her work, listening in on the conversation.

“How should I know?” Ann ask. “Sensei decided it, not me.” It was true. For an unknown reason, Ann was placed as a leader to her group. She didn’t even try anything to gain this position.

“Are you sure you didn’t use your money to get that position, miss diva?” Tianyi taunted.

“Hey! Leave Ann alone!” Prima shouted to Tianyi.

“Wow, defending the princess? How original,” Tianyi remark.

At this point,Gumi paused in her creation. She grab a notebook and a black marker near her. Getting them,she stood on her chair.

“I’m going to sing!”

Everyone paused on what they were doing. Tianyi and Prima stop throwing insults at eachother and turn to Gumi. With her marker, Gumi began to draw as she sang.

“There was a mountain.  
Upside down tulips  
Two donuts and a manju  
Add whiskers  
You get a mole!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Prima question after witnessing Gumi singing a child’s drawing song. 

“I wanted to end the fighting,” Gumi answer. “It’d be nicer if we could all get along.”

“What the hell is that thing?” Prima ask her, standing up and looking at the drawing. 

“Is that really a mole?” Tianyi stood up and look at it too.

“Stop it,” Oliver told the two girls. “The quarreling was a bother already. You don’t need to pick on Nakajima-san.” 

“I’m not doing anything,” Tianyi defend herself.

“You’re being rude,” Oliver scold her.

“Everyone,” Gumi spoke loudly. “You’re all too worried about groups and responsibility. We should have fun during break. Not having fun just because Mayu will get angry is a bit strange.”

Everyone was silent, taking in Gumi’s words.

“You just don’t want to study,” Piko spoke up and accused her. He was still bitter from the day before.

“Yeah, please don’t involve us just because you can’t get a good grade,” Miriam accuse Gumi of being lazy.

A vein popped in Gumi’s head. “For your information,” she began coldly. “I get Bs on my tests. Maybe you both should stop being a suck up to Mayu, since you two can never get a score as high as Tonio or Flower.”

Everyone became silent. No one expected this from Gumi, not even Kokone or Leon. Usually, Gumi is very friendly. It seems that she has lost her patience. Kokone and Leon don’t know what could have happened.

Of course, only Miki knew of what happened the previous day between Gumi, Piko, and Gakupo. Gakupo kept it secret from Kaito. Gumi chose not to call Kokone or Leon about it. Instead, she just lay in bed, ignoring the fights between her parents, and she was left in a daze.

Mayu open the door and everyone rush to return to their seat. Walking into the room, Mayu look around.

“Did something happen?” She ask seriously. “Group leaders,” she call out. “Group one.”

Tonio stood up. “Nothing happened.”

“Group 2.”

Miriam stood next. “Nothing.”

“Group 3.”

Piko was next. “Nothing.”

“Group 4.”

Miki stood and answer. “Nothing happened.”

“Group 5.”

Ann stood up slowly. Giving a glance at Tianyi, she saw her glaring heavily, as if telling her ‘I will kill you if you dare say a word.’

“Nothing,” Ann answer.

“Group 6.”

Gumi turn to Rin. This could not end well. Every time this happens, Rin will report even the smallest things and act as if she has to deal with them, even if she had nothing to do with it. Even Leon knew they were screwed. Rin stood up and gave her word.

“Nakajima-san was making a fuss, so I warned her.”

‘Liar!’

Leon thought so bitterly after hearing her, but there was nothing they could do. Mayu stare at Gumi, and all the latter could do was apologize.

“I’m sorry.”

“As punishment, group 6 will clean up after everyone in addition to doing their own chores.” After announcing this, Mayu lean in to Rin. “Good job, Kagamine-san. Keep up the good work.”

“I will,” Rin said so happily.


	33. He Cares About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After unintentionally lashing out at Leon, Gumi decides to spend a day with SeeU. Eventually, Gumi learns about SeeU's friendship with Ann and her true feelings about her.

The rain continued to fall outside. Inside, group 6 was left behind to clean. Rin observed her groupmates as they clean up. As she was in charge, she could decide whether to help or not. The past month, seeing Rin help her group was very rare. Most often, Rin was bossing her group around, telling them to work as she did nothing. 

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Rin announced as Leon, Flower, and Gumi cleaned. “Do your work.” With that, she left them behind.

“Have a safe trip to the toilet!” Leon cheered so happily to her, though deep down, he hoped for something embarrassing to happen to her.

“Not funny,” Rin comment as she left. Leon watched as the blonde girl walk away. When she was out of sight, Leon dropped the rag he held in his hand and went straight to his friend.

“Stop trying so hard,” he told her.

Knowing what he is talking about, Gumi spoke to him. “So you’re okay with class being like this?”

“You can’t expect anything now,” Leon answered. 

“But…”

“It’s best not to get involved with Mayu.”

Gumi couldn’t hold it anymore. “You are a coward,” she scolded her one best friend. “You joke around and run away when things get hard. It’s exactly what Mayu says. You are a sissy.”

Leon stood silently, taking Gumi’s words. “I see,” he said quietly. “Sorry,” he apologized with a forced smile. “Take care of the work,” he said as he left the room, leaving only two girls left in the room. In silence, Gumi looked down to the table where she was cleaning. Flower turned her head and looked at the green haired girl.

“Are you okay?” The stoic girl asked her. Gumi looked up and turned to her. “You snapped at your own friend like that, and you spoke down to our two classmates so coldly.” Gumi listened. She knows what Flower is saying. This is unusual, even for her who is so mixed with positive emotion. “Satou-kun is worried for you, and I’m sure Shinzou-san is worried too.”

Gumi sighed. “I’m not smart like you,” she answered. “I made too many mistakes, and it’s affecting the people around me.” Then she looked down at her table. “Hana-chan, why are you so indifferent towards everything?” Flower stared at her and Gumi looked up to her again. “You don’t complain when you become a rep, you don’t say anything to Rin-chan when she’s being bossy, and you are not afraid of Mayu. I never understood how you can manage all of that and act so indifferent towards it all.”

Flower stood for several seconds before she answered her. “It’s nothing,” she replied. With that, she walked away to clean up at the next table. 

Resuming her task, Gumi went to the next table when she noticed a notebook with kittens all over. Grabbing it, Gumi examined it and saw a name written on it in English. “Kim?” Gumi asked. Who is Kim? Gumi wondered. Then Gumi felt someone’s eyes on her. Turning around, she saw her there.

“Is this yours?” Gumi questioned, holding on to the notebook. 

SeeU nodded and walked towards her. “I left it by accident,” she answered. When she finally stood in front of Gumi, SeeU accepted the notebook. “Hey,” SeeU wondered. “Are you okay?” She asked the same question Flower asked.

“I don’t know,” Gumi answered.

“Let’s hang out together,” SeeU suggested.

Gumi was thrown completely off guard by SeeU’s suggestion. “Eh?” 

“Just you and me,” SeeU continued. Flower listened to the conversation and watched. “It might be strange since we aren’t exactly friends, but at least open up to me and tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Sure.”

“Eh?”

“After I finish here, let’s go,” Gumi suggested. “Though it will be strange. I don’t think your friends like me very much.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Yet it matters when it comes to… nevermind,” Gumi stopped herself from mentioning Miki. 

~~~

After finishing everything, cleaning and basketball practice, Gumi and SeeU walked out together. Gumi still felt bitter, but tried to be a little positive when around SeeU, who kindly offered to spend time with her. This also left Gumi confused. Wouldn’t SeeU rather spend time with her friends, the people Gumi naturally disliked without trying?

“Hey,” Gumi spoked up while walking.

“What?” SeeU asked in a cheerful tone.

“How come you want to spend time with me?” Gumi wondered. “How come you’re not with you friends?”

“Well.” SeeU began. “I kind of don’t feel like going to dance class today,” she answered honestly. “And, I kind of wanted to see Leon again.”

“Eh? Really?” Gumi didn’t expect that from her. 

“But, then, I kind of saw the conversation between you too, so I thought it’d be better to talk to you.”

At this point, the two girls entered a cafe where they both sat down and ordered their meals.

“Even though I barely know you, even I find it unusual for you to snap like that so bitterly,” SeeU continued.

“I see,” Gumi muttered. “Hey, I have another question.”

“What is it?”

“How come you’re friends with Ann Jody?” Gumi questioned her. “Asking because, honestly, I find Ann to be spoiled and rude.”

Silence arrived for a little while before SeeU finally answered. “Ann seems to be different now.”

“Hm?”

“Hey, on the first day of school, I saw you with Leon-kun and Shinzou-san,” SeeU began, recalling the first day of school. “And I thought your friendship with the two was something special.” SeeU sighed. “My friendship with Ann, Chika, and Prima doesn’t feel the same anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Back in elementary school, I was able to say anything I wanted to say to the three, especially Ann. Back then, Ann was understanding and always listened to me. We were always playing together, doing everything together all the time.” SeeU sighed. “That was before Ann’s popularity increased drastically and her career becoming more in her life in grade six.”

SeeU closed her eyes and recalled it all. Everything she and Ann did together. Starting back to when they met…

~~~

“I’m sure you’ll have a friend in school.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Uni as a young child reassured her little sister, a six year old Kim who was starting elementary school. “Starting a new school can be scary, especially in a new environment,” Uni reminded her little sister. At this time, Galaco had enrolled SeeU in a private school, the same school Uni was attending. 

“You’re not alone now because I am here for you, but I’m sure you will have a best friend in school, someone your age.”

SeeU lived by those words. The first two weeks at school, she was alone. She didn’t know how to make friends due to her shy behavior. Meanwhile, another girl, Ann, was quite popular in her grade.

“She’s a really pretty foreigner.”  
“I saw her in a magazine for children fashion.”  
“She’s pretty cute.”  
“She must be from America.”  
“Look at that curly blonde hair!”

From the distance, SeeU thought Ann was cute, probably the prettiest of all the first graders. Deep down, SeeU wished for Ann to be her friend, but she felt that was impossible. There was no way Ann would notice a girl like SeeU.

One day, during break, SeeU lied down on the grass and gazed at the sky. The other children were playing. SeeU would have done the same, except she was afraid to talk to other people. Eventually, SeeU closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft breeze.

Then suddenly, someone fell on her. Opening her eyes, SeeU was shocked to see Ann on top of her. Simply put, Ann tried to ran over SeeU but lost her footing and fell on to her, sitting on her stomach. The two blonde girls stared at eachother in shock for several seconds.

Then Ann gave a cute smile.

“Do you want to play?”

“Is it okay to play?”

“Of course it is! We’re playing tag. Join us!”

After that day, Ann came to SeeU all the time. Usually, it was during break when the two girls played. Then, by the summertime, they began to spend time with each other outside of school. 

“SeeU, you’re slow!” Ann cried out while the two girls were playing in a wheat field.

“Ann! I can’t see you!” SeeU looked around and tried to find her friend in the field. Both girls were pretty small, so neither could really see each other well. Of course, this did not stop Ann from running around in it. 

“Found you!” Ann cheered, coming from behind and tackling SeeU.

“Ann! I got scared!”

“Cuz SeeU is a scaredy cat!” Ann smiled. The two girls smiled to each other and laughed.

“I told you, right?” Uni told her little sister one day while they were at home. Their parents were happily conversing with each other. “One day, you will find a friend to hang out with.”

“Ann is amazing!” SeeU happily told her older sister. “Playing with her is so much fun! And we like the same things too!”

Uni smiled. “You know. You can have more friends too. One day, you and Ann are going to find people who share the same interests too, and you all can be friends.”

And once again, Uni was right. By the time they began third grade, Ann and SeeU met Prima and Chika. They were friends who didn’t go outside and play around. They often remain indoors and talk about clothes and their dolls. They have known Ann from a magazine they have seen her in. Ann quickly became friends with them, and SeeU got to know them through Ann. Eventually, the four became friends.

Until sixth grade, everything was blissful. Then when Ann was twelve years old, she got a sudden rise in popularity. Suddenly, she became a model and was asked to be interviewed several times. As a result, Ann left school halfway through the sixth year of elementary school.

Prima, Chika, and SeeU remained together until they graduated. Then they had went off their separate ways in Junior High. Of course, that didn’t last long, because they all got back together in the eighth grade…

Because Ann had transferred to the same school SeeU attended…

But she wasn’t exactly the same, innocent girl she used to be…

~~~

“I see,” Gumi took a sip from her tea. “You think the popularity has gotten in her head.”

SeeU nodded. “When she transferred to our school two years ago, I was so happy, but…” SeeU paused to take a drink. “It felt like there was something off, like there was something different. Then, when Prima and Chika transferred to our school, I thought it would be the same again.”

“And it wasn’t enough?” Gumi asked.

SeeU shook her head. “It wasn’t enough, but I’m still hopeful. I continue to hope that things become like they were in the past again.”

“I hope so,” Gumi commented. “Ann from the past seems so nice in comparison to present day Ann.”

“She’s still nice,” SeeU tried to defend her. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Yeah,” SeeU smiled meekly. “But anyways, I have to say something about me, how about you say something about yourself?

“Like what?”

“Like…” SeeU tried to find something Gumi can talk aboout. “How about your personality. Is there a reason it’s all mixed up?”

“My personality is mixed up?”

There was a pause in silence.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“You know, Kokone brought this up once, and I did not know what to tell her except girls commonly have mood swings.”

“Of course,” SeeU sighed. Then Gumi took out her phone to text Miku. From accross the table, SeeU noticed Gumi’s phone charm.

“You like dinosaurs?”

“Eh?”

“You have a dinosaur charm on your phone. I never thought of you as the kind to like dinosaurs.”

“Oh, I got this because it reminds me of my brother,” Gumi answered calmly.

“Your brother?” This was news to SeeU. She didn’t know Gumi has a brother.

“Yeah,” Gumi smiled sadly. “I had a brother once.”


	34. Ryuto, Yuki, and Tianyi's Wallet Again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A part of Gumi's childhood is revealed to SeeU. Miki, unsure of how to cope with Gumi spending time with SeeU, returns to the graveyard where she continues to sort out her feelings. When class couldn't possibly get worse, something goes wrong again...

“Soon, you will become a big sister,” a man sat in his chair and informed his little girl the grand news he has for her. “The baby will look up to you as he grows older,” he continued to explain to the small bespectacled girl who listened intently. “Never forget that, Megumi.”

“I understand,” the young child smiled so cheerfully as she replied to her father. “I promise to be a good big sister.”

Gumi was only a little girl when she was told the news about the baby. A long while after that day, in the cool weather of autumn, he was born. Upon meeting him for the first time, Gumi felt a special spark. She finally has someone to call her little brother. To her, he was perfect. Born with soft skin, plump cheeks, and light hair, Ryuto was loved by his sister.

From that day onward, Gumi was determined to give Ryuto all the happiness in the world.

Five years rolled by and everything was seemingly normal. Ryuto grew up to be a healthy little boy. He was quick to develop. As a toddler, he was a chatterbox, and he laughed so much. Family friends who saw him believed his happiness was the work of his older sister. Gumi was naturally a happy child. Even when she aged, her optimism grew with her. In addition, Ryuto admired her, and he decided he wanted to grow up to be just like her. 

On the surface, everything was typical. The family consisted of a working a father, a housewife, a daughter in grade school and a son in kindergarten. Inside the house, however, the household aura was dark. It began when Ryuto was still a toddler. Their father and their mother had arguments over the simplest obstacles. At first, they were little spats, nothing to worry. Over time, they evolved to yelling. The two adults couldn’t cooperate, and it reached a point where they forgot they even have children.

During these fights, Gumi took her little brother, and together they went out on walks. On occasion, Gumi would steal her parents’ money and took little Ryuto to a cafe. This was her way of shielding him from the uneasiness she felt when her parents couldn’t get along. She didn’t want her brother to feel the same pain she felt, especially since he was only five years old. Ryuto was so bright and energetic, and he was always smiling. Gumi always love his smile. She desired to protect it.

“Onee-chan.”

One night, Gumi woke up to the sound of her little brother’s nasal voice. In several seconds, she heard the shouting of her parents. Immediately, she understood why Ryuto woke her. She sat up and shifted to the side of her bed. He climbed into the bed, and he leaned his head on his sister’s arm. She turned her body, and she trapped his small body into her arms.

“Why are mommy and daddy fighting?” Ryuto asked his sister. Gumi didn’t know how to answer him. The idea of shattering his heart with the truth that their parents were far from perfect was something she couldn’t do to him. All the same time, she couldn’t hide the truth forever.

“Mom and dad are always fighting,” Gumi began her explanation. “Parents are like that. If they can’t agree on something, they will fight.”

“Is their fight so bad that they have to scream so loudly?” Ryuto asked next. He looked up and saw her nod her head. Leaning on her chest, he closed his eyes. “I wish mommy and daddy didn’t fight.”

Gumi had the same wish. Unfortunately, her parents continue to quarrel. Months passed, and the tension between the two adults was still extremely bitter. The siblings didn’t know how to cope, and they continue to seek each other for comfort. With nothing to do for their parents. Gumi took her brother out of the house, and they would have their own adventures.

One summer day, Gumi and Ryuto went to the playground after their parents created an uncomfortable atmosphere in their home. At the park, Ryuto played with boys his age while Gumi sat on top of the monkey bars. Feeling the breeze hit her softly, she watched her brother play ball with others. He was happy. Seeing his smile made her feel content.

Then, as the ball landed on the ground near Ryuto, the wind pushed it out to the streets. Ryuto chased after it, all the way to the road. Gumi kept her eyes on her brother, only to spot the incoming car. Eyes widening, she tried to scream her brother’s name, but her voice choked with the wind. In seconds, the car stopped, but it was too late. 

Gumi hoped it was just a dream. It didn’t happen. Ryuto did not run to the road. The car did not collide with him. She wished it was all an illusion, but the red liquid that began to pour into the road was speaking to her.

‘This is not a dream.’

She leaped off the bar, and she ran straight to her brother. A crowd was forming. People panicked. Parents ran to their children and took them away from the scene. A man dialled the ambulance, and a woman pressed her hands to Ryuto’s body, trying desperately hard to get a breathe out of him.

That evening, Gumi lost her most precious treasure.

~~~

There was no words for SeeU to say. This may have been the most tragic story she has ever heard. She never expected it either. Who would have thought a girl like Gumi suffered a deep loss like this?

“I’m so sorry,” SeeU whispered and looked down at her half eaten cake.

“Don’t worry about it,” Gumi told her, and she also stared at her food. 

“I never heard of something like that,” SeeU spoke softly. “I never thought that you …”

“Would lose someone precious as a child, right?” Gumi finished. She turned her gaze from her cake to the charm on her phone. “Besides me, dinosaurs was his favorite. I saw this almost 2 years ago, and I knew I had to get it. Immediately, it became something for me to always remember him.”

SeeU sighed deeply. She looked up, and she saw a small smile forming on the greenette’s face.

“It’s great to talk to you, SeeU-chan,” she began. “Suddenly, it feels like I let a dark secret out, even when Kokone and Leon already knew this.” Gumi looked up and looked directly in SeeU’s eyes. “Although, I still don’t like your friends, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you.”

“I understand,” SeeU spoke. “I like you too, but they don’t need to know that.”

“I’m quite glad you like me too,” Gumi smiled, more genuine than the last smile. 

~~~

Outside, Miki walked down the streets and took a glance at the cafe. She saw the two girls together, and she didn’t know how to feel. How could Gumi spend time with her? That blonde hair girl, the friend of that manipulative brat, the one who ruined Miki’s life, how could Gumi even be willing to be with that girl?

What if Gumi was lying to her?

But wait, it didn’t seem like it.

Miki knew deep down, Gumi does care about her. She couldn’t deny it. Deep down, Miki knew she’s letting her insecurity get the best of her.

She just wants a friend.Gumi seems to be the perfect friend.

In the battle going on in her head, Miki began to ran, leaving her umbrella in the streets. She ignored the looks the bystanders gave her. She kept running. She blindly travel to where her feet will take her. Nothing mattered anymore to her. She was lost. 

Gumi is a friend. Gumi is not a friend. Gumi only pities her. Everything is fine because Miki is Mayu’s pet. Mayu gives Miki everything she ever wants. Mayu threatened everyone who once hurt Miki. Ann leaves Miki alone. No one bullies Miki.

Miki is happy.

But Miki is also unhappy.

Why did Miki care so much that Gumi was attacked by Piko? Why does it bother Miki that Gumi was spending time with SeeU? Did Miki suddenly felt a soft spot for the cheerful girl? Why? Why!? Was it because Gumi told Miki she always has her back? Could it be that Gumi has been the first person to ever express desire to protect her from the dark?

Miki finally slowed down, and she looked around. She remembers this place. She and Gumi had come here that April night. Gumi took Miki with her here because she thought she saw their teacher. Miki remembered. As Gumi searched for Mayu, Miki stood in front of a grave and stared at the tombstone that belongs to a little girl.

Miki gazed at the framed photo of Yuki. The former ignored the fact that she was now soaked from the rain falling on her. In the picture, Yuki appeared to be so happy. Her smile was bright. She stood there happily in her kindergarten coat and butterfly net. 

What could have happened to Yuki?

“Hey!”

She heard a soft childlike voice. She turned around, and she saw her. A small child dressed in white.

“Why are you unhappy?”

The little girl kept her eyes on Miki. The latter was lost in her words, unsure if she should tell. 

“Are you Yuki?” Miki asked with curiosity. The child nodded.

“And you’re Furukawa Miki.”

“What?” Miki was taken back. “How did you know?”

“I’ve been watching you.”

Miki didn’t understand her. “How could you be watching me? You’re dead, right?”

“Of course I am,” Yuki answered, “but I’m still alive in mama’s heart.”

“Mama?”

“Mama, my most precious mother. She cares about us all. She loves you very much.”

~~~

“-ke up… please wake up.”

Miki’s eyes slowly open, and she heard the soft rain and the voice of a man. She sat up and saw she had been lying on the grass right next to Yuki’s grave. Very quickly, she notices the umbrella above her and the man kneeling right next to her.

“What are you doing, sleeping in a graveyard? How can you even sleep outside in the rain?”

“I fell asleep?” Miki questioned, still in a sleepy daze.

“Of course you did,” he answered.”I came to visit my daughter and I see you sleeping on the grass right next to her.”

“I’m sorry,” Miki lowered her head as a substitute for a bow. “Daughter?” She asked and looked up at the man. She saw him nod.

“Yuki has been my little girl,” he enlightened her. He held out his hand to Miki, and she grabbed it. He stood up, and she stood with him. “Yuki is my precious child, but she died in an accident five years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Miki mumbled. Then she looked around her and saw it was already dark out. Her eyes widened. “I need to get home!”

“Let me take you home,” the man smiled at her and offered.

“But…”

“You don’t have an umbrella, and it’s still raining. It’d be awful to walk home more soaked than you already are.”

Miki gave a small smile. “Thank you mister.”

“Call me Yuuma.”

~~~

Everything seemed to be okay the next day. It continue to rain. The class was optimistic as they return to the room after gym class. As they put their stuff away, Gumi had walked behind Leon. She glanced at him. After all that happened yesterday, she found herself unsure of what to say. Of course, she has to apologize for what she did, but she didn’t know the right words to bring out. Looking down in shame, she walked right past him and went to her desk. As she sat down, Leon looked up from where he stood right in front of his desk and kept his eyes on the greenette in front of him. He wanted to speak to her, but he wasn’t sure if she was in the mood to talk to him. As he sat, he quickly decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to say a word to her. Before he got the chance to say anything, Tianyi’s voice got his - and Gumi’s - attention.

“No way!”

“What’s wrong?” Luka asked her friend.

“My wallet is gone,” Tianyi answered in horror as she frantically searched in her bag.

“Are you serious!?” Iroha gasped after hearing what has happened.

“I put it in here,” Tianyi told her friends as she kept searching for her lost wallet.

“How much money was in it?” Luka asked worriedly.

“It doesn’t matter how much money was in it. That wallet was very hard to get,” Tianyi answered, and Luka can tell she was ready to cry. 

“Alright,” Iroha spoke loudly, even though everyone in the classroom had already been listening to them. “Who did it? Who stole the wallet?”

“Don’t you think you could have misplaced it?” Leon asked in an attempt to cheer them up.

“There’s no way I could have misplaced it!” Tianyi angrily told him. “I know I put it in here!”

The bell rang, and Mayu opened the door to the classroom. The students rushed to their seats as Mayu reached the podium in the front. 

“Why are we fussing?” Mayu asked her class.


	35. A Thief in the Classroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another teacher debate arises concerning the stolen wallet. When the culprit doesn't pop up, students grow agitated until their true feelings finally burst out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I updated this on FF, I forgot to update it here, so today will be two new chapters as I updated on FF again. You're welcome~

“Luo-san,” Mayu spoke calmly after learning the sudden situation regarding her student. “It really disappeared, right?”

“Yes,” Tianyi answered seriously.

“I see,” Mayu’s voice slowly faded and she observed her class. Everyone was sitting quietly, a few students looking around. “Does anyone have information regarding this?” She asked her class casually. Seconds rolled by, and no one said a word. “I have no choice then,” Mayu continued.

“Until we find out who is responsible, no one is allowed to go home.”

A few students gaped by their teacher’s words, but no one had the courage to argue against her. Mayu opened her folder, took out several blank papers and tore them into smaller pieces, soon handing them out to her students.

“There is no need to sign it. Just write who you think the culprit is.” Once every student got a paper to write on, she continued. “If you know something but keep quiet, I will hold you responsible too.” After seconds of pausing to make sure all her students understood her, she spoke again. “You will write them during the break, and I will collect them next period.”

~~

“Um, Mayu…”

She was sitting in her desk in the staff room, carefully examining her planner when Ueki came to her. 

“It appears that class 3 in the ninth grade is still in the classroom during the break time. Did something happened?”

Mayu did not hesitate to answer. “A student’s wallet went missing.”

“Eh!?”

Meiko, Kiyoteru, and Akiko looked up from their desks and gasped at the news told from Mayu’s mouth. Ueki was surprised to hear about it, but pressed on nethertheless.

“Did you find out who stole it?”

“No,” Mayu told him.

“What are you going to do?” Akiko concernedly asked.

“I’ll search for the culprit thoroughly.”

“What?” Kiyoteru stood up from his desk and kept his eyes on Mayu. “How will that help?”

“If this is not dealt with, the thief will be tempted to do the same thing again,” Mayu informed him. “As teachers, we must prevent this from happening. 

“I understand, but…” Kiyoteru didn’t believe this would be the best way to handle the situation.

“I think Mayu can handle this herself,” Ueki attempted to make Kiyoteru feel a little better about the situation. 

“Wouldn’t it be better to just warn them?” Akiko spoke from her desk, which was farther away from where the other teachers were sitting at, and asked her concerns.

“Well,” Ueki dismissed Akiko’s question and tried to put Mayu in a good light. “Lately, class 3 from the third year students have been working very well. They are quiet during class. Rarely anyone is late.” Ueki turn to Meiko and Kiyoteru. “Her class has been quite close. You two should do your best not to lose to Mayu.”

“I see,” Meiko gave a half hearted smile. “We’ll do our best.”

Nodding his head, Ueki turned and walked off, leaving the room. Kiyoteru wanted to stop him and express his concerns. Instead, he stood and watched his superior leave.

“If you have something to say,” Mayu’s voice brought Kiyoteru back to reality. “You don’t need to hold it in.”

Kiyoteru sighed. “Is it really okay to be searching for the culprit?” He dropped his head to look at Meiko who resumed her work. “What would you do, Meiko?”

“Hm?” Meiko looked up and paused at her work. “Well, in the past, I would tell them I wouldn’t tell, and then I would tell them to close their eyes and raise their hands.” She sighed with a small smile. “The culprit was never found though.”

“I think it would be best not to search for the student,” Kiyoteru expressed his thoughts. “It would scare the student.”

“Then what would you do?” Mayu asked while keeping her eyes on her papers.

“I would say if the person who stole it is there, they should consider the victim’s feelings and not do it again,” Kiyoteru answered.

“That’s another approach,” Meiko commented.

“Principle of peace at any cost?” Meiko coldly asked. “You seem to be the idealist type.” Kiyoteru turned to her, taking in her words. “You try to appeal to their good will,” she continued. “If that worked, we wouldn’t be having wars.”

“I’m teaching my students to think for themselves,” Kiyoteru tried to defend himself to Mayu.

“If adults talk about independence and freedom, and leave the kids alone,” Mayu spoke her brutal truth to him. “The kids will confuse being free with being unreasonable. They will become people who don’t know what wrong things are. What they must be taught is studying seriously and obeying their superiors, as well as the fear that if they do something wrong, they’ll be punished.” Mayu turned her head to Kiyoteru and stared into his eyes.

“Your gentleness is not needed.”

“I’m just happy if everyone can get along,” Kiyoteru raised his voice a little, hiding the pain that struck his chest from Mayu’s words.

“You sound like one of my students,” Mayu commented, remembering Gumi. “It’s too bad she tries to disobey me and gets punished for it. If you act like that, who knows what could happen to you,” Mayu spoke. She stood up, grabbed her folders, and walked out of the room as the bell rang.

~~~

Blank.

Blank.

Blank.

Blank.

“I don’t know who did it.”

Blank.

“I know nothing.”

Blank.

“Just blame it on Furukawa-san. Everything is her fault.”

Blank.

Blank.

A drawing of a pile of shit.

That was the only time Mayu looked up from the papers she collected from her students. She was able to figure out who have possibly done that instead of writing the culprit. She met his eyes, and he simply smiled like a goofball. Never changing her face, she looked down and resumed looking at the papers. Once she was finished, she spoke.

“Unfortunately, there is no information regarding to the culprit.” Everyone listened politely and wondered what could happen as it seems the culprit won’t be found. “As a result, because we are unable to find who stole Luo’s wallet,” Mayu paused, and everyone sat up, curious to what would happen.

“I will hold the entire class responsible.”

Exactly like it has happened before, the students gasped and began to complain. Tonio stood up and asked, “What does that mean?”

“I will have everyone write an essay about this,” Mayu answered. “I will also increase the amount of homework.” Everyone listened, clearly upset with the outcome. “In addition, everyone will do chores with the representatives. Any privileges you may have had are now suspended.”

“That’s not fair!” Miriam exclaimed.

“Yeah! I don’t have anything to do with this!” Piko spoke up, agreeing with Miriam.

“That’s what joint responsibility is about,” Mayu told him.

Tianyi stood up, slamming her fists to her desk. “Why do I have to be held responsible here?” She asked angrily. “I’m the victim here!”

“At the same time, you are a member of this class,” Mayu enlightened her. 

Suddenly, Kyo began to chuckle, beginning to lose his mind. “Who did it?” He asked.

“Please fess up,” Gakupo spoke loudly, hoping the thief would consider confessing.

“You’re causing all of us trouble!” Chika announced bitterly. “Why won’t you confess!?”

“Isn’t it you?” Iroha pointed at Chika. “You never liked Tianyi after all.”

“What are you trying to say?” Chika stood up and walked up to Iroha. 

“Want to fight?” Iroha spoke menacingly. In response, Chika aimed at Iroha’s pencil box and slid it off the desk. Everyone watched, and a few were becoming interested in the scene. Suddenly, Iroha grabs Chika, and the two girls snapped at each other. A few students nearby stood up and tried to pull them apart. Others were cheering over the little fight.

Suddenly, Luka stood up.

“I know who did it!” 

Everyone became silent and looked at Luka who had her hand raised. Slowly, she brings her hand down until her finger was pointing directly at Kyo.

“Why are you pointing at me!?” He exclaimed in shock.

“You have the face of a thief,” she answered brutally.

“What kind of face!?” Kyo screeched and stood up.

“Sensei, check his bags!” Tianyi demanded.

“Maybe you lost it,” Kyo responded back at her. At the same time, Gakupo grabbed his bag. “Give it back!” Kyo tried to pull his bag to him.

“If you’re innocent, just show him your bag,” Tonio announced.

Everyone became riled up again. A few students wrestled with Kyo, under the belief that he is a thief, basing solely on the fact that he has the “face of a thief.”

“Stop it everyone!!”

Gumi’s loud scream succeeded in stopping the commotion, even leading to a few people to cover their ears. Once she got everyone’s attention, she continued.

“You shouldn’t be suspecting your classmates.”

“You say that, but you are the most suspicious,” Iroha responded to her. 

“What do you mean?” Gumi asked her.

“During gym, the last people to be here were the representatives, right?”

“That’s right,” Chika agreed.

Leon stood up. “We were just cleaning the class,” he explained to them. 

“Maybe,” Tianyi spoke. “You’re tired of doing the chores all the time, so you caused this problem to make everyone responsible and do all the work you have done.”

Leon sighed. “Why would we go through all this trouble?”

Having enough, Tonio turned his attention to his teacher. “Sensei, can you forgive me at least?”

“Me too!” Miriam begged. “There’s no way it could have been me.”

“We don’t have time for chores,” Piko spoke next. “We have cram school.”

“You’re all so stuck up,” Prima responded nastily to them.

“You’re the ones who are stuck up,” Piko snapped back at her.

“I get it!” Wil exclaimed. “It must be you guys! You elites just want to get back at us!” He pointed at them.

“Don’t say stupid things,” Tonio told him.

“Why don’t you think about your actions?” Miriam questioned. “Remember what Sensei said before? Lazy people like you-”

“Lazy people!?” Luka snapped angrily and went straight to Miriam. Grabbing her shirt, Luka smacked her palm across Miriam’s face.

“Please no violence!” Gakupo exclaimed and attempted to pull Luka away from Miriam.

“You probably did it.”

“Why are you still accusing me!?”

“No violence!”

“It must be you!”

“I have nothing to do with this!”

A case of one girl’s wallet being stolen has lead to half of the class arguing. They were either throwing insults or physically attacking each other. The other half of the class either attempted to break up the fights, begged for peace, stared at everything, or closed their eyes, covered their ears with their hands and did all they can to block out the accusations. 

Mayu watched her class succumb to violence, and she never moved from her spot.


	36. You Are My Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SeeU discovers the culprit... and it torn between helping the culprit or turning them in.

In the pouring rain, Ann cautiously walked towards the back of the school. Holding her umbrella, she goes to the alleyway where the school trash is located. She was thankful that she was alone for once. Usually, Ann enjoyed being trapped in her crowd of fans. Now, she wanted no one with her.

Seemingly all alone, Ann stood in front of a bin. Usually, she despised being near such places with an awful scent. At that moment, though, Ann had to do something important. Sighing deeply, she looked down to the ground. Pulling her shirt up with her free hand, Ann digged into her skirt. Grabbing the item she hid in it, she pulled it out. Examining the item she now held for a second, Ann extended her arm to the trash bin. The item must be thrown away. Ann believed it was the best option. She lowered her hand in the bin, and she was ready to release the item.

“Ann?”

Hearing the very familiar, strong, curious voice, Ann frozed. Turning her head slowly, she spotted SeeU, who gaped at her. Very quickly, Ann hid the wallet behind her and lowered her head. Ann was caught, and she knew that very well.

Meanwhile, SeeU was at a loss of words. Standing in front of her was her best friend, and in the hand of that girl was the stolen wallet. SeeU couldn’t believe it. When she saw Ann earlier with no one around her, SeeU felt the need to follow her. The fact that she noticed Ann looked around to make sure no one saw her made SeeU more curious. At that moment, SeeU found the answer in front of her.

“Why?” SeeU asked in shock. Knowing that she has to explain herself now, Ann slowly looked up and gazed at her friend.

“It has nothing to do with the money,” Ann began. “Luo-san,” she paused and sighed. “She kept showing off her wallet and bragged about it being hard to get. It pissed me off so much.” Slowly, Ann moved her arm to her side, still holding Tianyi’s wallet.

“What are you going to do?” SeeU questioned.

“What can I do?” Ann answered the question with another one. “Everything became a huge mess!” She panicked, recalling how the class act when Mayu declared she will hold everyone responsible. The accusations, the cold glares, the harsh name-calling, the rough pushing, students throwing books and pencil boxes at each other, Ann will never forget the chaos that occurred all because she went and took one girl’s wallet.

“There is nothing left but to apologize,” SeeU informed her friend.

“I can’t do that!” Ann continued to panic. “Mayu hates me enough. I don’t know how she will punish me for this. I don’t know what Tianyi and her group would do to me either.” Also, Ann couldn’t imagine what everyone would think if they learn their beloved idol stole from her classmate.

“Well,” SeeU began. “If you won’t apologize, then what are you going to do?” SeeU knew the only solution is to apologize, unless Ann is willing to have the entire class be held responsible for a crime only she committed.

In several seconds, Ann found a solution. Looking at her friend, she smiled and walked towards SeeU. “How about you return it for me, SeeU?”

“Eh?” SeeU was shocked by Ann’s words so suddenly. What did her best friend just say to her?

“When no one is there, can you return it, SeeU?”

“Ann, I don’t think…” SeeU had wished for her best friend to admit her mistake. She tried to refuse the offer, but her drive to help her friends, no matter what situation they were in, was kicking in.

“It’s okay, SeeU,” Ann continued. “You are often forgetful and have to return to class, so you won’t look suspicious at all.”

“Ann…” SeeU was at a loss of words. Very badly, she wanted to tell her to confess, but now, she was very unsure if she wanted to say it.

“I’m your best friend. You will do anything for your best friend, right?” Now, Ann was taking advantage of SeeU. The latter knew that. However, SeeU didn’t know what to say anymore. She felt the need to give in. “Please?” Ann asked, looking the most desperate she has ever been. SeeU stared at her. What can she do? Anything can happen. “Please?” Ann asked again, this time pointing the stolen wallet to SeeU’s face. The latter gulped. If she refused, her friendship with her would be at risk. If she accepted…

~~~

By the time the students were leaving to head to their next class, everything seemingly have calmed down. Even if they were still suspicious of each other, they kept their mouths shut and moved on, unhappily accepting their fate of taking responsibility for a crime they did not commit. No matter what they did, they couldn’t find the thief in the room.

As everyone was leaving, SeeU was slowly putting her books together. She looked up and saw Ann through the window, as the last person in class leaving besides SeeU. Ann left, delivering a small smile and a peace sign to her friend. 

Even though she really didn’t want to, SeeU felt she must do this for Ann. She took out the stolen wallet that has been hidden in her clothes and walked towards Tianyi’s desk. Kneeling down, she touched Tianyi’s school bag. She opened it, and she reached in, with intention to put inside the wallet.

As she does so, she heard a gasp and a book fall to the ground. She turned her head, and Rin stood in front of the doorway, her eyes caught on SeeU. Immediately, SeeU jumped up and dropped the wallet.

“It’s not what it looks like, Kagami-chan,” SeeU began to try to explain to Rin the situation.

“Sensei…” Rin whispered, shocked with what she has seen.

“Please listen to me,” SeeU spoke, hoping Rin would understand.

“Sensei!” Very quickly, Rin turned and fled the room. Realizing her fate was once again in trouble, SeeU began to chase after her.

“Wait!” SeeU screamed. Rin was far ahead of her, running as fast as she can to find Mayu. “It’s not what it looks like!” As she ran, SeeU believed she can catch up to Rin and explain everything. She knew she was a faster runner than Rin. She tried to run faster as Rin reached the end of the stairs.

“Sensei!” Rin called out. SeeU kept running, going down the stairs. Even though Rin was no longer in her sight, she knew she took a left.

“Listen to me, Rin!” SeeU cried, using Rin’s given name instead of her surname. ‘If I turn, I can easily catch up,’ SeeU thought with determination. Reaching the end of the stairs, she kept going, turning left. Once she was in the hallway, she instantly stopped.

Standing in front of her was her worst nightmare, and she knew it will get worse from that moment on.

“What happened?” Mayu asked coldly, standing in the hallway with Rin by her side. Rin gave a cold look to SeeU, and the latter stared at the two, silently taking a gulp.


	37. Confession in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Refusing to snitch on the culprit, SeeU takes the blame for stealing the wallet. This leads to the one result SeeU never wanted to happen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at remembering to update on here ;;

The rain continued to pour down, hitting the earth, becoming smaller drops of water. The sound of the rain was all the students in class 3-3 could hear as they stood. All desks were pushed towards the walls, and everyone formed a crooked circle. They all kept their eyes on her, the culprit, the one who was caught with the missing wallet. Only three people were in the front of the room: Luo Tianyi, the one who’s wallet has been stolen; Kagamine Rin, the one who caught the culprit; and Mayu, the teacher of the class.

SeeU stood in the middle of the circle, keeping her head low and trying to ignore the cold stares of her classmates.

“Why did you do it?” Mayu, standing behind and in between Tianyi and Rin, finally began the confrontation. 

‘Should I tell her?’ SeeU wondered. She debated for several seconds. To tell the truth or to keep Ann out of this. After all, Ann could say something. She will do anything for her friends, as SeeU thought, remember the past when little Ann would do everything for the timid SeeU.

“I didn’t take it,” SeeU answered honestly. The truth should be said regardless, but surely Ann will speak up. After all, she can’t possibly leave her friend to suffer all because of her fears.

“Then why did you have it?” Mayu asked.

“A friend asked me to return it,” SeeU responded. This was true. Ann did ask SeeU to return it. Well, she asked this after SeeU found her with Tianyi’s wallet. 

“Who is this friend?” 

Should she say? SeeU wondered. Wouldn’t Ann be upset if she ratted her out like this? SeeU took a deep breathe through her nose. Perhaps she will speak up in a few minutes. SeeU was certain Ann will say something.

Ann couldn’t possibly sink so low that she’ll leave her friend to suffer a fate she was supposed to have gotten.

“Please answer,” Mayu commanded after SeeU didn’t say anything for a little over thirty seconds.

“I can’t tell you,” SeeU answered.

“Why?” Mayu questioned.

SeeU looked up and locked her eyes into Mayu’s. “I don’t want to betray my friend.”

“Isn’t this all just an excuse you made up?” Mayu asked next.

“It’s not an excuse,” SeeU answered.

“Then how come that friend is not saying anything?”

SeeU’s eyes widen slightly before she turned her gaze to the floor.

‘Ann… Ann? Won’t you say anything?’

…

‘Something maybe…’

....

‘Ann, you can’t possibly be thinking of leaving me to your punishment… are you?’

“I don’t know,” SeeU answered honestly, again. Ann hasn’t said a single word. Is Ann really that terrified of being punished that she can’t even speak up for her own best friend?

“I have no choice then,” Mayu’s voice spoke calmly in this situation. “Until that friend comes forward and confesses, I’ll treat it as if you did it.” SeeU lifted her head with a face that lacked emotion. How could she react? She didn’t do it, and she spoke the truth. She expected a response or something from Ann…

Why is she staying silent?

“I will hold your group responsible too.”

Kaito’s eyes widened upon hearing Mayu’s words. ‘Is she serious!?’ Why? Kaito didn’t do anything wrong. How come he has to be punished for it!? He glanced at Oliver and Miki, expecting them to be shocked by the sudden punishment they were given just for being in the same group as SeeU, but neither one of them showed any reaction towards the news. Oliver kept his head low, feeling conflicted over the situation, as he couldn’t possibly imagine SeeU of all people stealing someone’s wallet. Miki kept her eyes on SeeU, but instead of giving away anger or resentment, she felt sorry for her. Miki figured immediately that there is something wrong with this. As much as she disliked the timid blonde girl, she never thought of her as a thief in any sort, and she felt the honesty in her words. 

“You and your group are now relieved of your duties.”

Mayu had quickly turned to Rin and gave those words to her. Although she didn’t show emotion through her face, Rin felt satisfied, feeling she has been given an award for finding the thief.

“Now, apologize to everyone,” Mayu gave her command to SeeU. “You caused problems for everyone here.”

SeeU stood, feeling more conflicted than she thought she’d be. 

‘Won’t she say something?’

…

‘Anything?’

…

‘Ann! You can’t be serious!’

“Hurry up.”

Mayu’s voice snapped SeeU out of her thoughts. Holding her hands together and keeping her head low, SeeU bowed slightly.

“I’m sorry,” she said to her teacher, Rin, and Tianyi. Slowly, she turned to her right to face the next group of students.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized again. Kaito’s face was beginning to falter to anger. Oliver kept his head low. Flower kept an emotionless gaze. Miki felt her emotions stirring up inside, but she kept a calm facade. Kokone gave a harsh gaze at SeeU. 

Leon and Gumi couldn’t believe the entire situation had even happened in the first place. Both knew SeeU well enough to know she couldn’t possibly do something like this. As Leon kept his eyes on SeeU in shock and tried to keep calm in this situation, Gumi turned her head to where Ann was at.

“I’m sorry,” SeeU spoke as she bowed to the next wall. For a split second, SeeU’s eyes looked up and faintly met Ann’s eyes before she turned away. Gumi kept her gaze at her, slowly become suspicious of her.

“I’m sorry,” SeeU gave her last apology to the last wall of students.

‘Ann, why?’

~

Students were leaving the building under a gloomy atmosphere. Oliver kneeled down in the rain, shoveling up the dirt off the pavement. Taking a small break, he turned his head and watched his classmates leave, opening their umbrellas as they take their steps out of the building. Inside, Miki and SeeU were sweeping the floors as their classmates walk by them. Tianyi, Luka, and Iroha made sure to keep their distance from SeeU. Chika and Prima glanced at their friend as they walk away, and when Ann followed, SeeU looked up and the two made eye contact. As quickly as it had happened, Ann turned her face away again, exactly as she did during the confrontation. 

SeeU couldn’t turn her sight away from Ann. She watched her friend walk away, pulling her umbrella up and taking a step outside. SeeU’s mind was clouded and she forgot what she has been doing, losing touch with reality for a brief moment. All it took was a hand on her shoulder to bring her back to the real world.

“You’re the worst,” his voice whispered coldly into her ear before he walked away to attend his chores. 

‘You’re the worst!’

For a split second, SeeU believed him. The mop she held fell to the floor. Her feet took her to where she was working at. At that moment, her bitter feelings towards her were ignored. 

“Believe me,” SeeU spoke softly, grabbing Miki’s attention as she grabbed her arm. Miki paused in her mopping and turned to her. “I didn’t really do it,” SeeU tried to explain.

“I believe you,” Miki answered, surprising herself. She never thought she would side with SeeU, but it is hard to believe something like this happened. “Nobody else does,” Miki continued, aware that SeeU was seeking for people to believe her words. Sadly, it’s not likely anyone will believe her, considering she was seen with Tianyi’s wallet. “No matter what you tell them, nobody will listen to you.” Making her point, Miki continues to clean the floor. SeeU kept still, knowing Miki was right. 

‘No matter what I do … no one will listen, right?’

“It’s okay,” a soft voice captured SeeU’s attention behind her. Coming back to reality again, SeeU turned around and Oliver stood behind her. “But I wonder if that friend of yours is really a friend.” Realizing his words, SeeU spoke up.

“She’s a friend!” SeeU tried to defend her. “It’s just… well…” SeeU tried to find ways to defend Ann, but she could no longer find a way to defend her at this moment. 

“I don’t know, and it’s probably not my business,” Oliver spoke softly while staring at the ground. “But a good friend would confess their crime instead of making their own friend take the blame for something they didn’t do.”

At last, SeeU’s mind became blank.

A good friend…

Good friend…

“I see,” SeeU said dully. Walking at last, SeeU went to her abandoned mop and kneeled down to pick it up. Taking it in her hands, SeeU resumed cleaning for the next hour. 

Once she was finished, SeeU grabbed her school bag and umbrella, and she stepped out into the pouring rain. As she walked out of school, the words she heard from Miki and Oliver echoed in her head.

“No matter what you tell them, nobody will listen to you.”

“A good friend would confess their crime instead of making their friend take the blame for something they didn’t do.”

At last, SeeU grabbed her cell phone out of her bag, and she dialed a number. Putting the phone to her ear, she waited until she picked up.

“Ann, can we meet at the park right now?”

~~~

It felt really strange. To Gumi, it felt as if this has been the first time she didn’t have to do any chores, which for once did not conflict her practice. However, even if she was relieved, her mind had been deeply occupied by the events that occurred that day. 

As she walked out and head to cram school, Gumi tried to distract herself a little. The streets were crowded despite the rain falling down on the people. ‘How about a stroll near the park,’ Gumi thought, and she turned, heading to the park, knowing there were less people there. Reaching the peaceful area, Gumi saw how few people there. Two people were walking by the pavement. Three kids stood near a bench chatting endlessly. Gumi walked down the path leading to the square.

Gumi saw SeeU standing in the square. When she turned her head, she saw Ann coming towards SeeU. Suddenly, her mind was clouded with the events of today. With her curiosity taking over, Gumi took light steps, wanting to hide herself. Closing her umbrella and removing her glasses so she can see better, as the rain would blur her vision on her frames, she placed down everything she held and hid behind a tree. Taking a peek, she witness the two girls conversing and listened in on their conversation.

“What is it?” Ann asked in an unkind tone. “Why did you call me out here? What do you want from me?” SeeU kept a calm exterior, but she was ready to flinch hearing Ann using a cold voice towards her, something she never did. 

“Ann-chan, please confess what you did,” SeeU requested kindly. “Everything will be fine.”

“No way,” Ann responded.

“Why?” SeeU asked finally. What could possibly prevent Ann from confessing? Was she aware of what would happen to her own friend?

“This mess is all your fault, Dahee,” Ann answered, using SeeU’s real name. SeeU was taken aback.

“What do you mean?”

“If I had just thrown away the wallet, this would have never happened.”

“Ann, did you really want the entire class to be punished just for something only you did?” SeeU put her friend on the spot. For a few seconds, Ann was quiet, just looking down to the ground. Afterwards, Ann looked up, stared at SeeU’s blue eyes, and answered.

“I would look bad if the public was to learn I was once friends with a thief,” Ann spoke and gave a small smile SeeU never saw on her face before. It was similar to the mischievous smiles Ann has given whenever she spoke poorly about someone, but this smile had a malice glint to it.

“Ann, what are you saying?” SeeU asked, feeling afraid to know the true meaning behind Ann’s words.

“I’m a pure angel. I can’t be friends with people like you,” Ann continued, her smile growing bigger. “I mean, you stole Tianyi’s wallet, and you betrayed my friendship by spending time with that girl.”

“Her?” SeeU asked. “I didn’t hang out with Furukawa Miki. I would never betray you like that!” SeeU enlightened her.

“I’m not talking about that shrew!” Ann yelled, her smile dropping and her face distorted in anger. “I’m talking about that green haired, glasses wearing freak! Her! Nakajima Megumi! That horrible girl who thinks being stupid will get her through everything in life!”

‘Love you too, Ann,’ Gumi thought bitterly as she heard them, ignoring how drenched she has become. Even the tree leaves above her couldn’t protect her from the rain.

“What?” SeeU was taken aback again. “Since when did you care about her?”

“Didn’t you see?” Ann began to explain. “That girl was corrupting you from the star, and you willingly ate with her yesterday!”

“Eh?” SeeU’s eyes widen. “H-how did you kno-”

“That you and her were eating in the cafe together? Because Kaito told me,” Ann answered. “And he also saw how you were always making small talk with that blonde representative boy, and how you are always watching them and feeling sorry for them as they work, and you knew they never liked me!”

“Them not liking you has nothing to do with me being friendly with them,” SeeU tried to explain.

“Well, Dahee, you have a choice. It’s me or them. Decide,” Ann spoke as if she was the host of a dangerous game. SeeU just stared at her friend. How could she decide? Ann has been her best friend since elementary school, and she always believed her…

Although SeeU couldn’t admit that she might have doubted her a little.

Then, Gumi and Leon were probably the nicest people SeeU has met. SeeU couldn’t deny keeping her eyes on them for the past month, because the two had a friendship SeeU once had with Ann. They were so pure and kind to each other. Ann was like that too.

But then, Gumi and Leon used their kindness to help others, something Ann used to do until her fame exploded.

“Ann,” SeeU began to speak. “If I choose you, will you confess?”

Before Ann could answer, Chika and Prima suddenly appeared, running towards the two and stopping once they were next to Ann.

“What happened?” Chika asked.

“We got a text saying to come here as fast we could,” Prima panted heavily from running as she spoke. 

“SeeU-chan was accusing me of being the culprit and tried to get me to confess,” Ann began to tell her friends. “And she told me she’s been seeing people who are plotting to ruin me for petty reasons.”

‘Ann!’ SeeU eyes widened. “It’s not like that,” SeeU tried to explain, but her two other friends jumped in.

“How could you!?” Prima accused her.

“How mean!” Chika chimed in.

“There’s no way Ann would do something like that!” Prima defended her popular friend.

“How could you do something like that? Steal the wallet and frame someone as sweet as Ann, I thought you were her friend,” Chika berated her friend.

“Talking to people who despise Ann, how could you?” Prima antagonized SeeU.

“Apologize to her at once!” Chika demanded. 

“It’s okay, forget it,” Ann spoke, silencing her friends. “SeeU,” Ann turned her attention to her.

“I’m sorry, but our friendship is over.”

That moment, it felt like SeeU’s world has shattered. Ann. Friendship. Over. In a heartbeat. Ann didn’t even give the thought of apologizing a chance. 

Was her fame and reputation more important than her friendship with her childhood friend?

“Ann-chan,” SeeU muttered through her mouth, but Ann ignored her. Ann began to walk, and she strolled passed SeeU. Chika and Prima followed her, leaving SeeU behind in the rain.

Gumi felt her fingers tremble. Her heart was sobbing. How could something like this happen? SeeU didn’t do anything wrong! How could Ann do such a thing!?

Then, Gumi remembered, she was only eavesdropping. Taking silent steps backwards, she went to where she dropped her umbrella and schoolbag and kneeled to pick them up. Holding them to her chest, she stood and turned her head to where SeeU was at.

SeeU, holding an umbrella that shield her body, timid, sweet Dahee with long, wavy blonde hair decorated with a cat ear headband, blue eyes of innocence, sweet soft lips, and her figure secured by the summer school uniform, stood silently, lost in thought.

All she saw was four young girls running in a field together. They were happily playing together. A girl with pink hair in a bun, a girl with curly dark hair with a ribbon, and two blonde girls, one with curly hair in a ponytail, and one with long hair, they were all playing together. Then SeeU saw a little girl alone in the field, lying down, staring at the sky. Then she closed her eyes and relaxed, and she felt weight on her body. Opening her eyes, a girl with curly hair in pigtails was staring down at her in surprise.

Sighing, SeeU turned around, half hoping that maybe, this was all a prank pulled by Ann. ‘I’m sorry, SeeU,’ Ann would say. ‘You mean everything to me as you are my best friend. I’ll confess to the crime and apologize to the class.” SeeU could hear her in her head. SeeU looked behind her.

There was no one behind her. There was only a wet pavement, and the rain continued to fall.


	38. No One is By Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SeeU, Gumi, and Leon lament on what has happened and worry for what the future will bring...

“SeeU didn’t do it.”

Gumi and Kokone sat at their table eating dinner after having finished cram school when Gumi blurted out the truth she had learned hours earlier. Kokone took a sip of her Dr. Pepper before she answered her friend.

“What are you saying?”

“SeeU didn’t steal Luo’s wallet,” Gumi informed her friend. Kokone’s pink orbs buried deep into Gumi’s green ones.

“But Kagamine-san found her with Luo-san’s wallet,” Kokone pointed out.

“I might have spied on SeeU and Ann earlier today,” Gumi admitted. “Ann was the one who stole it, and SeeU was used as a scapegoat.”

“I see,” Kokone sighed. “Well, that will teach her to stop sucking up to that idol.” Before Gumi could say anything to her friend, her nose started twitching, and she bobbed her head, a sneeze coming out of her. Right afterwards, she sneezed again, and again. “Gumi?” Kokone stared at her friend. “What’s with you?” she muttered, then remembered Gumi saying she spied on the two girls. “Wait, Gumi, when you were eavesdropping on them, exactly how did you do it without them knowing?”

“Simple,” Gumi began to explain. “I hid behind a tree near them.”

“And they never noticed an orange umbrella near them?”

“Of course not, because I closed my umbrella and abandoned it with my bag so they wouldn’t notice me.”

“Gumi!” Kokone’s hands slammed on the table and she stood up, ignoring the stares she was getting from the people around her. “Are you stupid!? You could get sick just by standing in the rain! Did you even dry yourself before coming here!?”

“Ahaha, not really,” Gumi apologetically answered.

“Gumi!”

“Shut up, we’re trying to study!” someone yelled from afar at the two. At last, Kokone realized she created a scene. She sat down with a flustered face.

“Gumi, you idiot! After we eat, we’re going straight to my house,” Kokone insisted. “And you’ll stay the night. You’ll wear my pajamas, and I’ll dry off your uniform so it’s ready for tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to do that, my dear Kokone,” Gumi dramatically sighed. Even though she was having so much fun with her best friend, her mind still lingered to the events concerning SeeU.

~~~

“I’m home,” SeeU glumly murmured as she entered her home. She placed her umbrella in the rack, and she removed her shoes. She only took a few steps into her home when she heard her parents bickering as they always did.

“Who is she!?” Her mother yelled. “Tell me!” She demanded.

“She’s just a co worker,” her father answered rudely. SeeU took another step and leaned out the doorway. She saw her father walk into the kitchen, and her mother followed him with a phone in her hand.

“Then why did she send you this flirty email?” She questioned with suspicion.

“It’s just a prank,” SeeU heard him answered dully, trying to push his wife away.

“Then call her right now!” Her mother insisted.

“I can’t do that now!” He finally raised his voice at her.

‘I can’t deal with this now.’ SeeU turned around, put her shoes back on, left her school bag resting on the wall, and she stormed out. She left the door open ajar, uncaring that her mother will scold her. 

If SeeU didn’t loathe life then, she certainly did now.

How could she let this happen? How could she let everything crumble into pieces? SeeU kept running in the rain, uncaring that her clothes were becoming soaked, uncaring that her hair was becoming drenched, and she kept running even after tripping and falling multiple times. She ignored the bruises forming, and she never noticed the blood dripping from the scrape of her knee.

If only she had noticed it sooner, if only she realized from the start that Ann’s popularity had completely sucked the once sweet persona out of her. Why did she remain hopeful? Did SeeU really think Ann would return to her former self? Did she believe this was just a phase that will turn over? 

‘I should have done something about it!’

SeeU bitterly blamed herself for everything. She should have spoken up to Ann’s cruel treatment towards certain people. She could have defended the people Ann had put down. She could have reminded her that fame wasn’t the world. Instead, she allowed it all to change Ann to the person she has become. 

Selfish.

Manipulative.

Coldhearted.

Then, SeeU thought of her classmates. Students like Kyo or Al adored Ann. Kaito has been loyal to Ann since the seventh grade. Gakupo has been kind to her. Then there was students like Luka and her two friends who never liked Ann and opening expressed their dislike, yet no one ever messed with them cuz they were the kind of people students wanted to befriend. Then there was Gumi and Leon, who both disliked Ann, but they never shun or harm SeeU for being her friend. Instead, they warmly welcomed her and gave her assistance when needed, even if it had to be a secret behind Ann’s back.

Then, how about Miki?

As SeeU recalled that one afternoon nearly two years ago, Ann was crying, telling her and the others who came to see her that Miki had verbally attacked her and threw insults her way. Miki was on top of her, and SeeU came and pushed her away. The word spread, and everyone became hostile of the redhead. As she recall the memory again, SeeU noticed something unusual.

Weren’t Ann’s hands holding Miki’s wrists?

Wasn’t Miki’s cheek red?

Did Ann even earn a single bruise or scar?

Pausing in her running, SeeU began to recall it. Ann wouldn’t lie about it, would she? She couldn’t possibly just set up a scene like that. SeeU wanted to believe that Ann wasn’t that heartless, but the events that occur that day betrayed her beliefs. Ann was more than willing to use her friend as a scapegoat. Ann refused to take responsibility for stealing the wallet. Ann couldn’t accept the idea of SeeU befriending people who disliked the former.

Soon, the sound of rain was accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Snapped back to reality after having been lost in thought once again, SeeU looked up from the ground she had stared at for a long while, and she saw her coming towards her, dressed in her usual dark clothes and shielded from the rain by an umbrella.

“Open your eyes,” Mayu spoke to her with no emotion. “There is nobody by your side,” she informed her. “If you listened and obey, you can live without crying.” SeeU registered her teacher’s words in her head, and she swallowed the air, keeping her eyes on her teacher.

“I won’t cry,” she said with determination. For a second, she thought she saw Mayu raise her eyebrows, but looking closer, Mayu kept a straight face. “I won’t cry at all,” SeeU concluded, and she turned, walking in the rain.

~~~

“Are you serious, Gumi? This mess was all because of her?”

Rana heard her brother’s voice as she walked by his room. He left his door open, allowing the young girl to hear his conversation on the phone with Gumi.

“I know, Gumi, SeeU has very bad friends, but she’s still friends with them.” 

Curiosity getting the best of her, Rana took small, light steps towards Leon’s bedroom door.

“Was? Was friends? Wait, Gumi, what happened?”

Rana, pushed the door slightly, and she slowly poked her head through the door. She saw Leon sitting on his bed. One hand was by his ear, holding his cell phone towards it, and the other hand was behind him, pressed on the mattress to support him.

“She did what!?”

Rana saw Leon’s eyes widen as he listened to his friend.

“That bitch! How could she do that to SeeU, especially after everything she did for her!?

Rana watched Leon’s face warped between anger and confusion.

“Wait, how did she even know you and I were being friendly with SeeU?”

Rana became interested in the conversation her brother was having. She can tell it relates to this SeeU girl her brother is fond of, as well as it involves another girl, someone Leon dislikes.

“Of course,” Leon sighed. “Kaito is in love with Ann. She’ll do anything for her. I don’t know if you remember, but back in the seventh grade, he left his best friend behind just to be with Ann.”

Leon opened his eyes as he listened to Gumi.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Miki and Kaito used to be best friends until Ann got involved.”

Rana faintly remembered Miki. She was the nice girl who came to her home for dinner two months ago.

“I was in their class two years ago. Miki was so sweet and caring, and she had a wonderful friendship with Kaito until she came along.” Three second silence. “I doubt Miki actually physically attacked her. I’m sure Ann was only saying that cuz earlier that day, Miki openly called Ann out to the entire class because she forgot her textbook and tried to bribe her teacher out of getting in trouble for it.”

‘Geez, who is this girl?’ Rana wondered. ‘She sounds like a real bitch.’

“Listen, Gumi, tomorrow, things are going to be different. We won’t have to do chores anymore, and don’t you think Ann is going to try to do something to SeeU?” A few seconds, he was silent, simply listening to Gumi. “You told me she said something about her popularity getting affected if people were to know she was friends with a thief. She’ll probably encourage people to get back at SeeU the same way she encouraged people to get back at Miki.”

Rana saw her brother sigh deeply.

“Let me text SeeU, and I’ll see you tomorrow at hell.” Taking his phone away from his ear, Leon hanged up, and Rana watched him messing with his phone. Becoming heavily interested in what was going on, she finally decided to let her presence be known.

“Onii-chan, what happened at school today?” Rana pushed the door further and casually walked into her room.

“Oh, Rana,” he saw her and gave a warm smile. “Were you listening to my conversation with Gumi?” He asked her, knowing his little sister loves to eavesdrop on his or Yukari’s phonecalls.

“I sure did,” Rana answered while taking a seat next to him on his bed. “What’s wrong? Did the devil do something again?” She wondered.

“Well, the devil did do something,” Leon answered. “But this time, it’s because someone actually did something bad.”

“Really?” Rana’s eyes widen. “What happened? Tell me!”

“You remember that this model is in my class, and everyone likes her all because she’s famous and she pretends to be nice, but she’s actually mean?” He asked his little sister.

“Oh, so that’s the bitch you-”

“Rana!” Leon gasped at his sister casually speaking like that. “Don’t use language like that!”

“What?” Rana became confused. “I’m not allowed to swear, but you are? That’s not fair,” she pouted.

“Well, Rana, you’re still a little girl,” Leon tried to explain to his sister.

“Little?” Rana gaped and sighed dramatically. “How can my own brother forget that I’m a growing child? I’m in the fourth grade now, my dear brother. I’ll be ten in three months~”

“Okay, let me try to rephrase that,” Leon sighed. “You’re still in grade school. You’re still a child. You should do things other children do.”

“And how about you?” Rana asked.

“Well, Rana, I’m a grown man now, so I can live freely,” he answered brightly.

“Grown man?” Rana sighed. “You’re only older than me by five years.”

“But I’m in a completely different world,” Leon tried to explain. “I’m a senior in junior high school.”

“Yeah, junior high school, not high school,” Rana said in a dead voice.

“Listen, Rana,” Leon tried to get his point across. “You’re still a child, so please act like other children.”

“And how am I supposed to do that if I’m different from other children?” Rana wondered.

“What? You’re not different from others,” Leon tried to convince her.

“Of course I am,” Rana said as she stood up and turned to face her brother. “Everyone in my school has a mother and father, and we have neither of them,” she reminded him.

“Oh,” he realized what she was saying.

“And you never tell me about them,” she pointed out. “All you ever say is they were bad people so we only need Yukari. Were they really that bad?”

Leon sighed and he pulled his sister onto his lap. “Listen, Rana,” he began. “Our mother left us when you were a baby, and our father was an alcoholic so he couldn’t take care of us properly. That’s why Yukari became our guardian.” 

“Oh,” Rana took in her brother’s words. “Our mother left us? Why?”

“Well,” Leon sighed. “She didn’t know how to love someone. She was with our father, but she didn’t love him. She wanted to spend time with other men, and eventually, she decided she wanted to be with men more than she wanted to be with us.”

“I see,” Rana answered, and she leaned her head into her brother’s chest.

“By the way, Rana,” Leon kept talking. “Sometimes, it’s better not to have parents.”

“How so?” Rana asked. “Everyone in my class always talks about the fun they have with their moms and dads.”

“It sounds fine for then now, but when they get older, you realize they weren’t as great as you thought they were. I mean, Gumi’s parents are always fighting.”

“I know that,” Rana responded, remembering Yukari complaining about Gumi’s parents multiple times the past few years.

“You know my friend SeeU?” Leon asked.

“Is she the girl you talk to when you’re supposed to be sleeping?” Rana asked.

“I see you’ve been listening to my conversations through the wall,” he laughed. “Yeah. SeeU’s parents fight too.” Leon informed her, remembering that one conversation he had with her over the phone the previous week.

~~~

“Hey, Leon, do you like being an orphan?”

Leon pressed his phone to his ear after accepting SeeU’s call, and that was the first sentence he heard her say.

“What, SeeU?”

“Is it better to be an orphan?” she asked.

“Eh? Why this all of a sudden?” Leon laughed quietly, wondering how SeeU even came up with a question like this.

“My parents are fighting again,” SeeU answered, and from the tone in her voice, Leon can tell it wasn’t the first time either.

“What are they fighting about?” He asked.

“It all started with dinner,” SeeU began. “I ate on my way back home, but I know my mother would complain about that, so I kept quiet, and I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat dinner. Mom got mad and kept asking me why I wouldn’t eat. My dad told her not to deal with it, and she smelled perfume on him and asked where it came from and what he was doing.”

“I see,” Leon listened and responded. “Do you think your dad is cheating on your mom?”

“I don’t think so,” she answered. “But mom doesn’t trust him, and she always questions him, and he always avoid her questions, and they fight. I’m getting tired of hearing them.”

“I understand,” Leon told her, remembering that Gumi’s parents are quite similar.

“My dad is like a workaholic,” SeeU began to complain. “All he ever does it work. I mean, he didn’t even bother coming to my dance recital back in February, and I was the main dancer that time. And my mother,” SeeU sighed deeply. “She’s a pain. She’s always comparing me to my older sister, and she’s always telling me I have to get good grades, says I’m wasting my time doing dance class, tells me my looks are important all because I’m friends with Ann, and I know she would never want me to hang out with you.”

“Haha, SeeU, even Ann doesn’t know you’re talking to me, does she?” he asked with a smile.

“You’re right,” SeeU giggled. “It’s not that I’m trying to keep a secret from my best friend, but you’re so much fun to talk to, and you even helped me the first week of school.”

“I remember. I slipped and fell between your legs and saw your cute underwear,” Leon added.

“Shut up!” SeeU screeched, and Leon can imagine her face becoming red. Despite this, the two continued to talk, all night long, forgetting about everything. They allowed themselves to forget about their situation at school. They forgot about the pain they felt concerning their parents. They forgot about the world and it’s greed and pain.

~~~

Uni heard her door open slowly and soft footsteps entering her room. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see her little sister entering her room with a sketchbook. 

“Are you feeling better?” SeeU asked as she came closer to the bed where Uni was resting in.

“I felt a lot better after seeing your face,” Uni answered with a smile, and she sat herself up. Examining her sister, Uni noticed SeeU’s uniform was wet, her hair was more straight, and her headband she always wore was missing. “Is everything alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” SeeU said with a small smile. “I know something that will make you feel better,” SeeU’s smile became brighter as she spoke to her sister. She opened the sketchbook, opened the marker she held and began to draw as she sang, reciting the lyrics Gumi sang in class the previous day.

“There was a mountain.  
Upside down tulips  
Two donuts and a manju  
Add whiskers  
You get a mole!”

Uni laughed brightly. “What is this?” She asked as she took the sketchbook and examined the drawing. SeeU sat on the bed as Uni kept looking at the drawing. “It looks more like a seal than a mole though,” she grinned.

“Eh? Really?” SeeU smiled and glanced at her drawing. After a few seconds, Uni’s face fell.

“Hey, Dahee,” Uni used her sister’s real name and got her attention.

“What is it?”

“If something happens, you can always talk to me,” Uni told her.

“Eh?”

“If anyone bullies you, I’ll beat them up.”

Hearing her sister say that, SeeU’s emotions that she held in were becoming difficult to control.

“I may be weak due to my poor resistance to any cold and fever, but Dahee, I am always by your side.”

Suddenly, SeeU’s vision blurred. She looked down and tried to hold in her emotions, something she did the entire day.

“Dahee?”

Suddenly, SeeU threw herself onto Uni, clinging onto her, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears began to flow, and SeeU tried to hold in her cries, only to hiccup each time. Uni held her and rubbed her wet blonde hair, trying to console her sister.

Outside the girls’ home, Mayu stared at the house with an emotionless face as she held her umbrella that shield her from the rain.


	39. Don't Worry About Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to taking the blame for a crime she didn't commit, SeeU watches her school life crumble as her classmates turn against her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting to update this on AO3 when I update on FF ;;

"SeeU, are you awake?" Her mother, her morning alarm clock, called out to her, unaware that she had been awake for a little while. "It's time to get up. You'll be late for school." Her mother continued to speak. SeeU turned to her side and covered her body with her blanket. She had no motivation to get up. All she wanted to do was lay down and never leave. After everything that happened the previous day, she really didn't want to see anyone.  
"It's not what it looks like, Kagami-chan."

"What happened?"

"Why did you do it?"

"You caused problems for everyone here."

SeeU heard her bedroom door open. "What are you doing, SeeU?" She heard her mother ask. "Get up! When I tell you to wake up the first time, just do it." At last, SeeU pulled down the covers enough so only her eyes were poking out. She saw her mother standing near the door with her hands on her hips. "Get up, get dress, and eat before you leave," she commanded and walked out of her daughter's room. Once she was gone, SeeU bitterly stuck her tongue out to her behind her back.

'Even now of all times, she decides to be even more annoying.'  
Knowing she can't have it her way, SeeU finally sat up on her bed. As her hands clutch onto her blankets, she turned her head to her dresser, her eyes catching a picture frame. In the photo was her and the three girls who until yesterday were her friends. Staring at the photo, her mind flashes back to the previous day.

"Please confess what you did."

"This mess is all your fault, Dahee."

"I would look bad if the public was to learn I was once friends with a thief."

"I'm sorry, but our friendship is over."

'Can this just be a horrible nightmare?' SeeU thought bitterly as she lazily got out of bed. Slowly and painfully, she stripped out of her pajamas, uncaring that her door was still open. She took out her school uniform and lazily put them on. After putting on her thigh high white socks in a tired state, she brushes her hair with little effort. Finally, she placed her hand on her desk to retrieve her headband.

"Huh?"

It's not there.

"Where did it go?" SeeU wondered, looking around her desk. Her cat ears headband was no longer there. Sighing deeply, SeeU decided to just go out without any headgear in her hair.

'It's not like it's important anyway,' SeeU thought bitterly. 'When I think about it… isn't it silly to wear something so childish at this age?'

Grabbing her schoolbag, SeeU left her room and didn't bother to close the door. She begrudgingly walked down the stairs, dragging her feet on the floor. Reaching the living room, she sat down and picked up her chopsticks. Very lazily, she picked up her food, but she wasn't in the mood to eat. She sat there, staring at her food and playing with it for an unknown amount of time. She couldn't tell how long she sat there, and she didn't care either.

"SeeU, hurry up and eat," her mother insisted as she placed more plates on the table. "Are you keeping up with your studies?" she asked. "Ann's mother told me her grades are improving," she continued, failing to sense that her daughter isn't her usual self. "Ann is your best friend. You should learn from her," she casually said, grimly reminding SeeU of the events all over again.

"That's enough," SeeU finally spoke up. "Why are you so edgy?" she asked her mother coldly.

"What are you saying?" Galaco was taken aback by her daughter's sudden cold attitude towards her. "I'm not being edgy," she laughed while picking up a plate. Immediately, she stumbled and released the plate in a panic. The plate shattered upon impact on the hard floor. Galaco began to cry in shock, and SeeU snapped out of her bitter mood and realized that for the first time in her life, she had snapped at her own mother.

"Are you okay, mom?" SeeU asked, her caring self slowly returning to the surface as she stood and saw the mess on the floor.

"Don't mind me," her mother responded as she kneeled down and gathered the pieces. "Finish your breakfast," she said, acting like everything was fine.

"Don't be so loud," SeeU's father reprimanded his wife. "It's almost eight in the morning," he remarked. "Isn't she edgy, SeeU?"

"Well, I'm kind of at fault, dad," SeeU commented quietly, slowly believing her negative attitude led her mother to break fine china.

"You're so nice, SeeU," he smiled. "Always looking out for your mother," he added while rubbing her head. "It's too bad you're not wearing that cute headband of yours. It's really cute," he commented, noticing the lack of cat ears.

"Those cat ears are childish," Galaco spoke up as she stand. "And is that the foolish face you make when you email that woman from work?" she asked, and SeeU sighed. Here they go again…

"What are you saying?"

"Well, you have been deceiving me before."

"It's just a prank."

"I feel that's just an excuse."

Each time, SeeU turned to the speaking parent, unsure of what to do anymore. She was running out of things to break or spill.

"If you have enough free time to think of such foolish things, then how about you do the things you're supposed to do?"

"You're so annoying. I'm going shopping later."

"Nothing but excuses."

"Like I'm making excuses. What are you really doing when you tell me you'll be late?"

"If you're that worried, why don't you wait for me to come home? I come home, and you're snoring loudly."

"I can't help it! I have to do everything in the house. I have to prepare food, wake the girls up, and clean everything."

"Of course you have a lot of things to do. You do a sloppy job doing anything."

"Both of you, grow up!" Uni coldy screeched at her parents as she entered the room. Every morning, it's the same thing over and over," she complained as she took a seat in the table. "If you're going to fight this much, then go get a divorce."

"What are you saying, Uni?" the girls' father asked in shock.

"It's nothing like that," the mother tried to convince her daughter.

"Then how about you stop making SeeU worry about you two?" Uni questioned them. "She's going through enough already," she added. SeeU turned to face her sister in surprise.

"Stop it, Onee-chan," she stuttered out. Why? Just why would she say that in front of their parents of all people!?

"What's wrong, SeeU?" her mother asked worriedly, and her father gave a look of concern.

"It's nothing!" SeeU tried to cover up. She quickly saw the time on the clock behind her parents. "I'll be late if I don't hurry!" She announced, standing up immediately and grabbing her bag.

"Late?" Uni wondered. "You have another hour…"

"See you guys later!" SeeU bid farewell to her parents as she jolted out of the room. She quickly put her shoes on and jogged out of her home, ignoring the incoming questions and concerns from her mother and father. Once she was a good distance away from her home, she completely stopped moving and calmed down. The very last thing she wanted was her family to ever find out she was miserable. She couldn't allow her parents to worry about her, and she was already aware her sister is wondering what had happened after SeeU broke down in front of her the previous night. Sighing, she looked up at the sky.

The sun shined brightly. This was the first sunny day in two weeks. Suddenly, SeeU missed the soft showers. She began to take baby steps towards school, her mind clouded with everything.

Her mother's constant nagging to be perfect like her sister.  
Her parents' constant arguing over everything the past year and a half.  
Her now former best friend's change in personality, to the point where her popularity was deemed more important than her personality.  
Her two other friends, also former friends, siding said best friend on everything, no longer the sweet girls they used to be.  
Her having to hide her friendship with Leon.  
Her secretly siding with Gumi.  
Her always looking out for the two when she thought her friends weren't looking.  
Her catching Ann with the wallet and trying to convince her to do the right thing.  
Her sadly succumbing to Ann's request to return it.  
Her getting caught by the once kindhearted Rin.  
Her getting punished for something Ann did.  
Her losing her friends, all because Ann refused to take responsibility and didn't like who SeeU interacted with.  
Her being told by Mayu that no one is by her side…

Despite feeling extremely gloomy, SeeU didn't believe her. Late at night, in her bedroom, SeeU saw the messages Leon left her.

"Are you feeling okay?"  
"I know you didn't do it. I'm on your side Dahee."  
"If anything happens to you, I'll protect you."  
"SeeU!"

The unhappy girl heard her sister call out to her from behind. In seconds, Uni caught up to her and was walking right next to her.

"If Mayu gives you a problem, I'll come to your school and deal with her," Uni told her.

"Eh?" SeeU stared at her sister in slight surprise.

"It's all her fault things are so bad now," Uni added.

"It's okay," SeeU feigned cheerfulness. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"You say that now, but last night, you cried so much," Uni pointed out.

"Well," SeeU placed her fingers lightly on her chin and pondered.

"Well what?" Uni questioned. SeeU turned her head towards her.

"You told me you were always by my side." Then SeeU jumped and stood right in front of her sister. "I was so happy," she smiled. Upon seeing a small grin on Uni's face, SeeU began to feel genuine happiness. "Please don't worry anymore, Onee-chan." SeeU turned and suddenly ran off, feeling a little better, knowing her sister and Leon are on her side.

Once she was in front of her classroom door, anxiety began to flare up in her chest. What will her classmates say to her? How will they look when they see her? Will they be mean to her? Will they forgive her, even though she really wasn't the thief, but no one will believe her?  
Taking a deep breathe, SeeU slowly opened the door and took a step in the classroom.

Much to her surprise, the atmosphere felt the same as it has always been. Everyone was being happy, as they always were until it was time for class to start. Students were speaking to each other, and they were smiling. It's as if the events of the previous day never happened.

Perhaps it was only a dream.

 

Seeing Ann, Chika, and Prima conversing with each other near Ann's desk, SeeU decided that maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to them. Maybe them saying they weren't friends anymore was a cruel prank.

"Good morning," SeeU greeted the three girls. Instead of greeting back as they always did, they turned their heads away from her. Ignoring the pain burning in her chest, SeeU kept talking. "My mother told me your mother told her your grades improved," she tried to talk to Ann. "Then she told me I should be more like you. Isn't she annoying?"

"Hey, did you hear something?" Ann asked, completely ignoring SeeU.

"No," Prima and Chika answered.

"Must be my imagination then," Ann chimed.

"Perhaps it's the ghost of a suicide victim," Chika spoke eagerly.

"No! How scary!" Ann cheered, and Prima and Chika joined in on the cheering. They fooled around and cried happily, completely ignoring SeeU. Knowing they won't speak to her, SeeU walked away and head to her desk. Sitting down, she opened her bag, only to suddenly get light in her eyes. Closing her eyes from the brightness, SeeU turned her head away. Quickly, she turned back and saw Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha using their mirrors to bring the glare of the sun into SeeU's face.

"The thief arrives," Iroha announces gleefully.

"That's what you get for stealing from others," Tianyi chants.

"How unbelieveable!" All three girls chant and laughed together. Sitting next to SeeU, Miki heard them and tried to ignore them. It wasn't worth it. Why should she put her attention on her?

But Miki also saw what SeeU's former friends did when she tried to talk to them. It mirrored Miki's attempt to talk to the person she once called her best friend.

"How could I be friends with someone who dared hurt that sweet girl!?"  
"I thought you were nice, but you hate her when she has done nothing wrong!"  
"I'm sorry, but our friendship is over!"

As Leon, Gumi, and Kokone walked into the classroom, the bell rang. Students hurry to their seats and Leon silently complained to himself. As he took his seat, he took a quick peek at SeeU and his heart fell when he saw her with a solemn face. Gumi took a seat next to him and decided to glance at SeeU as well.

'I hope nothing too bad happened.'

The door slid open, and Mayu entered. She reached the podium and placed her notes on it.

"Stand," Oliver announced, starting the morning ritual. "Bow." Everyone bows as usual and greets each other, "good morning." "Sit," he said last, and everyone sits down.

"Let's begin," Mayu announced. "Open your textbooks everyone to page 49." Giving the order, the students retrieved their books from their desks and opened to the page. "Utatane-kun, please read." Nodding to the command, Piko began to read. As he starts reading, SeeU opened her book to the page and stopped herself from gasping. Miki opened her book as well, but the bright colors of SeeU's book caught her attention. Turning her gaze to SeeU's book, Miki's eyes widened.

"Thief."  
"Liar."  
"Don't come to school!"  
"You're the worst!"  
"You're a worthless girl."  
"Leave and never return."

'How? Who did this?' SeeU couldn't help but wonder. Was this the start of her "punishment?" SeeU's eyes began to wonder around the classroom. She glanced at each student. Could it be Ann who wrote this as punishment for trying to get her to confess, or for wanting to spend time with Gumi or Leon? Or could it be Chika or Prima as they believed Ann when she told them SeeU tried to pin the blame on her? How about Tianyi, Luka, and Iroha, as revenge for "stealing" her wallet?

Meanwhile, Miki began to fight against the memories. Seeing the words written on SeeU's book, Miki began to recall everything that occurred nearly two years ago. The vandalism on SeeU's textbook was far too similar to the vandalism on Miki's books back then.

"Go away!"  
"Go die bitch!"  
"Everyone who hates Ann should die!"  
"You're a useless girl!"

"If you don't apologize to me for speaking against me,"  
Miki recalled Ann's words from that warm September day.  
"Then I will make you feel sorry and regret you ever went against me."

"Next," Mayu's voice spoke up after Piko finished reading. Her eyes fell on SeeU who continued to look around her. "Kim-san, please read the next paragraph." Hearing her name, SeeU nodded, but immediately, she put her book back inside her desk. "What's wrong?" Mayu asked. "Hurry up and read," she demanded, and a few students turned to face SeeU, a few of them with small, malicious grins. Seeing then, Miki's war to fight back the past events became more difficult. At the same time, SeeU stood up.

"I'm sorry," she began. "I forgot my textbook," she lied.

Mayu stared at her, and SeeU felt the need to tremble under her teacher's gaze. "People who forget their textbooks have no right to be in this classroom," Mayu stated. "Stand in the hallway," she ordered. SeeU nodded, and pushing her chair in, she slowly walked out of the room. A few students kept their eyes on her, smiling and feeling triumphant. Once SeeU was out of the room and had closed the door behind her, Mayu resumed class.

"Hanazono-san, please read." Nodding, Flower stood up and began to read, but Miki couldn't hear her. She couldn't hear anyone anymore. She was trapped. When she looked up, she saw her class from the first year of junior high. Back in the spring, everything was fine. Her classmates smiled at her politeness. Her teachers praised her. Her best friend was always with her.  
Then she came and messed everything up. No one saw it, but Miki did. She saw the cold, uncaring look in her eyes, and Miki could tell immediately that she wasn't the sweet girl she claimed to be. Miki warned her classmates, but she got to them first. Miki did everything she could to prove she was right.  
But that all went in vain, didn't it?

"You see that girl with the red hair? She doesn't like Ann."  
"What!? How could she hate such a sweet girl?"  
"It's too bad. I thought she was pretty nice, but she accuses Ann of being greedy."  
"That's a shame. I wouldn't want to be friends with her."  
"If you don't apologize to me for speaking against me, then I will make you feel sorry and regret you ever went against me."

With a sigh, Miki finally followed along to the passage in the book. Perhaps it's best to stay out of this as long as she possibly can. At the same time, Leon and Gumi pondered on what happened with SeeU that she wind up forgetting her textbook.

Meanwhile, SeeU stood out in the hallway, trying to ignore the words that were written towards her.

"Where are we going, Leon?" Kokone asked her friend. "Weren't we going to head home together? This is the way back to the classroom."

"I left something behind, and it's very important that I go pick it up," Leon answered half heartedly. The truth was he worried about SeeU. He remembered that Kaito wasn't exactly happy about the situation, and he also recalled that Kaito was very loyal to Ann.

"Make it quick, Leon," Kokone told him. "I want to stop by a store and see if they have anything worth giving to Gumi."

"You're looking for a birthday present already?" Leon asked curiously. "Her birthday isn't for another three weeks."

"I know," Kokone responded. "But what if there was something wonderful to get for her selling right now, and they don't sell it anymore in the next few weeks?" As she asked this, the two were very close to their homeroom when they heard a thud and a thump.

"This is punishment for stealing!"  
"Stop it, Kaito!"  
"How are you not pissed at this girl for what she did!?"  
"Because it's not likely for her to do such a thing."

Immediately, Leon ran a few steps to the classroom and slid the door open. The first thing, or person, to come to his sight was SeeU lying on the floor, her uniform soaked and below her, a small puddle of water. Behind her, Oliver and Kaito were facing each other.

"But that girl was caught with the wallet!"  
"Someone framed her."  
"She's a liar!"  
"Maybe Ann is the one lying."

Hearing Oliver say that last line, both Leon and Miki knew immediately that he had pushed the worst button to press in Kaito.

"Don't you dare call Ann a liar!" Kaito no longer tried to keep his voice at a low volume. He couldn't stay calm anymore. He just heard that the girl he cares deeply for was a liar, and he couldn't accept that people spoke harshly about her.

"I won't call her one as long as you leave SeeU alone," Oliver responded in an untroubled tone. Kaito stared at him for a good while, and his breathing was irregular.

"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this," he began. "I mean, it's because of her," he began to explained and pointed to SeeU. "That we are all stuck doing these tasks for who knows how long! And then this girl dares to claim that Ann was the one who stole it, and she's been siding with people who are anti-Ann, people like you!"

"Shion-san, please focus on work."

At last, Miki spoke. She grew tired of Kaito's rambling, so she turned from cleaning the counters and took her position as the leader of the group. In that time, Leon walked into the room and helped SeeU up from the ground.

"Aren't you mad too!?" Kaito asked Miki. "Aren't you upset that you're stuck here when you could be doing other things."

"I have better things to do than to listen to you who is clearly on your man period."

Hearing those words from the usually sweet Miki, Leon resolved to leave immediately. With his hand holding SeeU's, he bolted out and ran, leaving behind a confused Kokone.

"Where are you going?" Kokone muttered.

"SeeU, are you okay?" Leon asked her warmly as he dried her hair with a towel. SeeU covered her wet body with a towel and allowed him to help keep her dry.

"I'm fine," she said nonchalantly. "You don't need to worry about me," she told him with a smile.

"But Kaito tripped you just then," Leon pointed out. "You know he'll hurt you all because of Ann, right?"

"It's okay," SeeU tried to reassure him. "I can handle it."

Leon sighed. "Can you really?" He questioned. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're timid natures makes you adorable, but isn't that also what led you to your unfortunate fate of being the victim here?"

"Huh?" SeeU became confused, and Leon immediately realized that SeeU was still oblivious to the fact that he knows.

"Nevermind," he muttered, and he removed the towel from her hair. "SeeU, what happened this morning when Mayu called you to read and you saying you didn't have your textbook."

"It's nothing," SeeU lied with a smile. Leon couldn't buy it, but he can tell SeeU won't tell him.

"Please be careful," he warned her. "I can tell that Ann doesn't like you right now, and given how popular she is, she'll use people to hurt you."

"She can't possibly hurt me that much," SeeU attempted to cheer Leon up and convince him otherwise, but a small part of her agreed with him.

"I don't know," Leon sighed. "I mean, when Miki called her out for trying to get out of detention, Ann did everything she can to ruin her, and she succeeded big time."

For the first time, SeeU didn't feel bitter upon hearing Miki's name, but she became very puzzled when she listened to him.

"What do you mean?" She asked. "Ann told me Miki attacked her just because she didn't like her."

"I don't know what happened that day back in the seventh grade," Leon began. "But I knew Miki long enough to know she wouldn't physically hurt someone, even if she didn't like them." Listening to him, SeeU began to recall her sister's words from a month ago.

"Ann couldn't possibly lie like that," SeeU muttered, trying to piece everything together. Miki was violent and spiteful, according to Ann, but she's actually not the violent person she was known to be, according to Uni and Leon.

"Dahee," Leon used her real name. "This might be hard to reel in, but Ann probably deceived you the past two years," he informed her. "Miki was always a sweet girl, but she became known as a monster because Ann spread bad rumors about her and didn't hesitate to ruin her. She practically stole everything from Miki." SeeU listened to him and processed his words into her brain. She recalled the past, remembering the glares and mean words people gave at Miki's direction. As SeeU began to recall, she slowly realized it.

Not once did Miki appeared to be so devilish.

"I see," she muttered, and then she remembered what she was supposed to do. "I have to go back to cleaning now."

"I'll walk with you," Leon insisted.

"No, Leon. Please go home."

"But SeeU-"

"I'm fine," she reassured him with a smile. "Please go home or go watch Gumi at her practice."

Leon sighed. "Fine. I'll see you later," he said as the two parted ways, him heading home, her returning to class as if nothing ever happened.


	40. The Greatest Friend They Have

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gumi refuses to leave Miki and SeeU behind and invites them to her birthday. There, the two girls learn they are more alike than they realize.

Kaito sighed, lying in bed, looking at the conversation he had with Ann via text message.

From: Kaito  
You won’t believe what Furukawa said to me today  
Sent at 18:57  
From: Ann  
What did she tell you!?!?  
Sent at 18:58  
From: Kaito  
I tried to teach Kim a lesson, and that girl defended her, and then she had the nerve to say I was trouble!! Even though it’s all Kim’s fault that I have to clean!!  
Sent at 19:00  
From: Ann  
Really? Now I see why SeeU turned against us.  
Sent at 19:04  
From: Kaito  
Didn’t you say SeeU has always been secretly against you?  
Sent at 19:06  
From: Ann  
Don’t be silly. If SeeU had always been against me, why would I have been friends with her for this long. I believe that she has always been on my side, but someone sabotaged her the first day of school. Remember when her pencils were all broken, so she was automatically a rep?  
Sent at 19:09  
From: Kaito  
I rememer.  
Sent at 19:10  
From: Kaito  
*remember  
Sent at 19:11  
From: Ann  
I believe Leon broke her pencils so she can be a rep with him, and then he tricked her into going against me.  
Sent at 19:13  
From: Kaito  
Are you serious??? So this was all Leon’s idea?  
Sent at 19:15  
From: Ann  
No. He’s working for that beast. She tricked him to suck SeeU to their side. Now, it’s too late for her. I made the right move in cutting it off with her. I need to keep myself safe. People like them are trying to ruin my reputation and my future!  
Sent at 19:19  
From: Kaito  
I see. So it all leads back to her! I’m glad I left her behind! She tried to tell me you were a horrible person! I can’t believe I was ever friends with her! To hell with her!

Reading that message over and over, Kaito’s mind swirled in a tornado. Did he really mean that? A part of him has reminded him that before Ann came along, Miki was his only friend. When everyone in grade school bullied and teased him for his timid nature, it was Miki who smiled at him and stayed by his side. She even encouraged him to make new friends, and she was happy when, in the first week of junior high school, Kaito began to get along with Gakupo and Rin.

Then, when Ann came into their lives, why was Miki so against Kaito being friendly with her? Ann was so nice to him, and she always offered him to take him to the stages where Ann modeled at. Why did Miki say so many harsh comments towards Ann? 

Then the day came where Miki tried to humiliate Ann, and Kaito couldn’t forgive her for it. Later that same day, Miki attacked Ann, and Kaito began to resent her. Afterwards, he cut all ties he had with Miki and revolved his world around Ann. 

As Piko said once to Gakupo, Kaito was no special from everyone else. Because Ann was famous, Kaito was intoxicated by her, suffering from the awful side effects. Many people from their school was drugged by Ann’s very existence. The people who survived from Ann were left to suffer by the ones who were blinded.

According to Piko, Miki suffered the worst among the students who were against Ann, all because she was the former best friend of Ann’s favorite victim. 

~~~

“Gumi, what are you doing after practice?” Kokone asked her friend with curiosity.

“I’m going to walk with Miki and SeeU,” Gumi answered happily.

“Again?” Kokone sighed. “You’ve been doing that for two weeks now,” Kokone pointed out.

“And you never want to walk with us anymore,” Gumi pointed out nonchalantly. “Do you dislike them?”

“It’s not that I dislike them,” Kokone began. “It’s just that SeeU is An-”

“Was.”

“Was Ann’s friend,” Kokone reminded Gumi. “Ann is quite a toxic character.”

“I know,” Gumi understood what Kokone was saying. “But SeeU isn’t like that.”

“I have to go,” Kokone suddenly told her friend.

“Eh? How come?”

“I need to buy ingredients for dinner,” Kokone lied. The truth was she didn’t really want to walk with Miki and SeeU. 

Actually, she didn’t mind Miki, but she doesn’t particularly like SeeU, even though among the clique of girls, SeeU was the least terrible.

Kokone doesn’t understand why, for the past three weeks, Gumi wants to walk home with them. At first, Kokone thought Leon had something to do with it, but during a text conversation with the boy, he admitted he told Gumi to do no such thing, but he is quite satisfied of Gumi doing such an act.

Even more, neither girl had asked Gumi to keep them company. The first week, Miki always came up with an excuse to not walk with her. Telling Gumi she was dangerous, that she will get hurt if she walked with her, that Ann will attempt to target Gumi, that Mayu will come out and threaten to make Gumi a rep again, anything to keep Gumi away. After five days, Miki gave up, and unwillingly, she walked with Gumi. SeeU, on the other hand, was more accepting of Gumi walking with her, but unlike Miki, she was more cautious. Gumi notes that SeeU was probably more suspecting than Rin. SeeU would assume that Gumi just wants to bully her like everyone else was doing, or Gumi was plotting to exploit SeeU’s weak points. Unlike Rin, though, SeeU allowed herself to keep Gumi and Miki company.

The worst about this was, when Kokone was with them, there was a highly awkward tension between Miki and SeeU. It made a lot of sense. SeeU had spent the past two years hating Miki because of Ann, and Miki resented her for it. Now, the two are physically closer to each other than ever, but neither didn’t know what to say.

SeeU had realized that Miki isn’t as awful as others made her out to be, but it didn’t change the fact that Miki still dislikes Ann for unknown reasons.

Miki had realized that SeeU isn’t as cold hearted as her three now former friends, but SeeU still believed Ann about the things she said about Miki.

During the walks home, Gumi tried endlessly to get the two to speak to each other. She never succeeded. The walks would always be Gumi talking to the two and both girls saying a word or two to Gumi, but neither saying anything to each other.

For the first week, Kokone was silent. Afterwards, Kokone found an excuse to not walk with them, for she not only disliked SeeU that much that she couldn’t bear to walk with her, but the tension between SeeU and Miki was too dark to even cope with. 

“I guess I’ll text you later,” Gumi bid farewell to Kokone.

“Yeah, see you later,” Kokone waved to Gumi before turning away to find Leon.

~~~

Neither Miki or SeeU were surprised at this point that Gumi bothered to wait for them to finish working. For the past three weeks, she’s been wanting to walk with them for unknown reasons. Neither Miki or SeeU could figure out why. Either way, they reluctantly agreed to walk with her again.

This day was the same as the other days. Gumi would socialize with either Miki or SeeU, and they would talk to her, and neither said a word to each other.

However, this day, Gumi said something unexpected to the two girls.

“Tomorrow, I want the two of you to come to the karaoke bar with me after school.”

Hearing her, the two girls didn’t know whether to comply or not.

“Why?” SeeU asked cautiously. She felt really bad. She shouldn’t be doubting Gumi this much when she has only shown kindness to her. Then again, she thought the same about others, and they now throw nasty insults and pranks on her.

“Because,” Gumi began. “Tomorrow is my birthday.”

“Really?” Miki asked. “But it’s too late for me to get a gift for you.”

“I don’t need a gift,” Gumi reassured her. “All I need are my friends with me.”

“Friends?” Miki’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am serious,” Gumi answered. “I want you and SeeU to be there tomorrow. I also asked Leon and Kokone to come too, and a friend of mine will reserve a room for us,” she informed them. Two weeks before, Gumi told Miku what she wanted to do, and as promised, Miku checked out a room for Gumi. 

“I guess it will be fun,” SeeU whispered.

“I’ll come,” Miki announced. 

“Great!” Gumi cheered. “We will all have fun. I promise.”

~~~

Leon sat in between Miki and Gumi as Gumi sang Donut Hole as proudly as she can. He spoke to both girls as much as he can.

“Miki, you seem to be looking better the past few months.”

“What do you mean?” Miki wondered.

“I don’t see anyone bullying you anymore,” he told her.

“Oh, about that,” Miki began. “I guess people got bored of me,” she lied. Miki wasn’t ready to admit that she made a deal with Mayu. 

“SeeU,” he turned to the timid girl. “Has anyone been bothering you?”

“No,” she lied. 

“Are you sure?” He asked. “Has Kaito done anything bad to you again? If he does, I’ll beat him up for her,” he told her, giving a mischievous grin.

“He can’t do anything to Kim anymore,” Miki spoke up suddenly, without a second thought. As Leon turned to her and SeeU looked at her in surprise, Miki continued. “I told Mayu what he was doing, and she threatened him.”

“You turned to the devil for help?” Leon gasped. “That’s bold, and she actually helped you?” He was amazed.

“Well,” Miki began. “That day when he tripped Kim and started a monologue on how no one should hurt Ann, I told him to focus on his work and said I don’t want to hear him when he’s that upset.”

“Yeah,” Leon recalled. “Actually, your exact words were ‘I have better things to do than listen to you when you’re clearly on your man period.’”

“That’s right.” Miki released a small grin.

“What happened after that?” Seeu asked, suddenly beginning to speak to Miki again. “Leon and I left right after that, and I never saw Kaito again later that day.”

“He left,” Miki answered. “His face was the same color as my hair, and he sent curses at my direction, and announced he was never going to clean with us and will just leave with Ann.”

“But he still cleans with us,” SeeU pointed.

“That’s right,” Miki’s smile grew bigger as she told SeeU everything. “Because I told Mayu what Kaito said, and she must have given him a great scolding.”

SeeU begin to giggle. “He thinks he’s all powerful, but he’s really weak.”

“Of course he is,” Miki laughed. “He thinks he’s so important, but he’s only Ann’s puppet.”

For a few seconds, the two girls succumbed to their giggles, only to realize what they were doing. Immediately, they silenced themselves and looked away, embarrassed of what they did.

“What’s wrong?” Leon asked, watching the two girls. “You were both having fun talking to each other. Is that even a crime?” He sighed. “SeeU,” he called to her as he put his arm around Miki. When the blonde looked at him, he continued. “Don’t be deceived by the rumors you have heard. Furukawa Miki is actually a very sweet girl. She only did what she can to protect Kaito, but Ann successfully stole him away from her.”

“Huh?” SeeU’s eyes widened. “They used to be together?”

“Of course,” Leon answered. “Kaito was Miki’s best friend before Ann came along. Miki saw past Ann’s facade and tried to protect Kaito, but he was already intoxicated by Ann’s sweet words to him.”

“I see,” SeeU said in surprise. She never knew this about Miki or Ann.

“Now, Miki,” Leon called for her attention, releasing his left arm from her and placing his right arm around SeeU. “Kim Dahee is a very loyal friend. She stayed by Ann’s side because when they were children, Ann did many things for SeeU, and she only wanted to repay her. SeeU believed that the nice Ann was still in there somewhere.”

“So Ann used to actually be nice?” Miki questioned.

“She was,” Leon answered. “Sadly, even if the nice Ann was still in there somewhere, the mean, manipulative Ann has trapped her deep in her heart. SeeU tried to free that part of Ann, but the Ann we see is very powerful. Even so, SeeU never gave up.”

“I understand,” Miki said, having learned more about SeeU and Ann.

“It’s present time!”

Gumi interrupted them after singing her song. She stood in front of them, holding a box. “I have presents for all of you,” she announced in glee. Her three friends gaped at her.

“Are you serious, Gumi?” Leon asked.

“I’m serious,” she answered.

“But, isn’t it your birthday?” Miki asked.

“Yes, it is,” Gumi answered again.

“But people don’t give presents to others on their own birthdays,” SeeU told her.

“It’s fine,” Gumi reassured her as she lift the lid off the box, dropping it near her. “I want to do this for you all, since I love you all very much.”

“Love?” Miki wondered.

“Yes, love,” Gumi answered as she grabbed a tiny present wrapped in red paper out of the big box. “This is for you, Miki,” she told her. In shock, Miki accepted the present. “This is for Leon,” Gumi said next, giving him a blue present. “And this is for SeeU,” she announced, handing an orange present to her.

“You don’t have to,” SeeU whispered.

“But I want to do this,” Gumi spoke to them. “Because you are all my friends, and I care very much about you guys. If anyone ever hurts you guys again, I will stop them the best I can. Please, trust me.”

Finally, SeeU felt her eyes watering. Miki was left speechless. Leon stood up and trapped Gumi in his arms. 

“Leon, your grip is so tight!” Gumi cried out as Leon held her. 

“I’m sorry, but you are the greatest friend I could ever ask for. I love you, you little weirdo!”

Unexpectedly, Gumi felt more arms surrounding her. SeeU and Miki trapped the two, tightening their arms into them.

“I’m sorry,” SeeU cried out. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you, Gumi!”

“I’m sorry, too!” Miki wailed. 

“Oh! Don’t cry!”

“I can’t help it!”

“I guess they need hugs too.”

~~~

Outside the room, Kokone heard everything. 

“It can’t be.”

Gumi actually thought of them as friends? But she didn’t even know them as long as she knew Kokone and Leon! 

Maybe Kokone would have been okay if it was only Miki. But SeeU too? Kokone didn’t like her. Even if she wasn’t like her former friends, Kokone couldn’t accept SeeU.

“Open your eyes.”

Hearing that all too familiar voice, Kokone turned her head, seeing the adult who walked towards her.

“Kim and Furukawa will become Nakajima’s friends, and where will you be?” Mayu asked. “Does she ever think of you anymore? Before, she left you so she can be with Kagamine, and now, she is leaving you so she can be with those two girls.” 

Hearing her, Kokone’s eyes widened.

“It can’t be…”

“Shinzou Kokone, Nakajima Megumi doesn’t need you as her best friend anymore.”


	41. The Nightmares of July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bullying against SeeU worsens, leading teachers to debate over the events occurring.

As the weather grew more humid, swimming classes began on a daily basis. Mayu took her class of twenty four students to the pool. The only student allowed to skip swimming was Rin due to a medical excuse. The remaining students were to swim on the pool. Usually, Mayu demanded they all do laps, but on this particular hot day, she gave them a choice: do laps or practice swimming techniques with others. 

Ann persuaded Luka, Tianyi, and Iroha to swim with her and her friends. Ever since the wallet incident, the girls began to develop a friendly pact with each other. The past fueling hatred had diminished and was replaced with a promise to defend each other in times of trouble. The six girls swam together in peace, only for Iroha to notice a certain blonde girl’s swimming. 

“What a showoff.”

The five other girls heard her, and they directed their attention to the swimmer Iroha has gazed at.

“She pisses me off,” Luka commented.

“Trying to be cool and swimming so perfectly,” Chika growled.

The six girls crowded together, continuing their complaints until Ann sparked an idea. The girls grew closer, hearing the plan and loving it. Soon, Iroha drifted apart of them, with the biggest, malicious grin an average fourteen year old girl can ever give. 

“Sensei,” Iroha called for her teacher’s attention. “I can’t do a flutter kick very well,” she lied, setting the plan up. 

“Please show me,” Mayu commanded.

Iroha nodded. Before putting her goggles on, she took a quick glance at the remaining five girls and smirked at them. The girls nodded, heading on their way to her.

SeeU continued to swim, although she was slightly trapped in thought. What was worse to deal with, she pondered. School was hell, and so was home. Her classmates couldn’t give her a break, and her parents continue to argue, more frequently than ever. SeeU’s only solace for peace were her sister, Uni, and her remaining friends, Leon, Gumi, and maybe Miki. Actually, speaking of Miki, SeeU was beginning to doubt Ann. For two years, Ann had always said that Miki abused her, loathed her, tried to ruin her, but as SeeU got to know the infamous girl herself, SeeU couldn’t see a mean girl.

All she saw was a sad, helpless girl.

SeeU’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she felt someone grab her ankle. Then another pair of hands grabbed her legs. Then her head was pushed down, denying SeeU a chance to breathe. In seconds, more hands pushed her down in the water.

SeeU began to move frantically. She couldn’t breathe. She was caught up in trouble. Someone was holding her down and refusing to let her swim. Someone went after her. 

Who would do this?

She already knew the answer, but knew better than to admit it. 

Even after the weight was gone, SeeU finally opened her mouth and she saw herself again.

A little girl stared at the sky as another girl came and fell on her.

In that instant, these two girls became friends… no more.

A hand grabbed her at last, pulling her up from the water. SeeU coughed violently, taking many deep breaths.

“Stop trying so hard if you can’t swim.”

That familiar, cold voice scolded her. Without a second thought, SeeU responded to her teacher, albeit quietly.

“Somebody tried to...” She coughed again, and she finally lifted her head up. Everyone ceased their swimming and had their eyes gazed on her. SeeU wasn’t bothered by them. Her focus was on those six girls. Tianyi, Luka, Ann, Chika, Iroha, and Prima looked at her. Five of them acted nonchalant over what had happened, while Ann glared her down.

“I’ll kill you if you snitch,” was the message her eyes delivered.

“Nevermind,” SeeU spoke again. “I’m sorry.”

As everyone was motionless, keeping their eyes on their teacher, only Leon and Gumi looked around and put two and two together. 

~~~

When class ended, the students walked and galloped their way to the classroom. Swimming was the last class of the day, and everyone was eager to leave. While everyone chattered happily, Leon caught up to SeeU and poked her shoulder.

“It was Ann, wasn’t it?” He asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” SeeU forced a smile and responded to him.

“Come on, SeeU,” Leon groaned. “You can’t let this continue.”

“What am I supposed to do about it?” SeeU asked. “No one is going to stop her because she’s their beloved idol.” 

Everyone entered the room, grabbing their belongings to read. Although she knew she has to stay behind to clean, SeeU grabbed her bag anyways to get everything ready. She opened it, only to see the rubble and stains she had never placed in her bag in the first place. 

SeeU looked up and saw their cold hearted smirks and glances.

Ann, Prima, Chika, Luka, Tianyi, Iroha, Kyo, Wil, Yu, and Kaito felt a sense of satisfaction seeing SeeU’s look of shock. Not wasting another minute, SeeU grabbed her bag and quickly jogged off. Without a second thought, Kaito extended his leg out. SeeU didn’t catch it in time and her legs collided with it.

In a quick thump, the rocks fell out of her bag. In the next second, Kaito is roughly pushed aside as Leon and Gumi come to SeeU’s side. In another second, Kiyoteru, having walked by and catching the moment with his own eyes, stepped in and took in the sight of the rocks and torn paper that had fallen out of her bag.

“Who did this!?” He began to question the class very harshly. “What makes you all think this is okay!?”

~~~

“Class 3 in ninth grade has been behaving very well, right?”

“They greet everyone properly. They use their time wisely, only going to the bathroom on breaks.”

“They never make any noise and disrupt other students.”

“I’m a little worried, though…”

As teachers gossip on about Mayu, Kiyoteru stepped in, calling for her. 

“Ms. Akuno, could I see you please?”

“What is it?” Mayu asked, writing in her notebook and never looking up at Kiyoteru.

“It seems that Kim Dahee from your class is being bullied,” Kiyoteru began. “I saw rocks in her bag.” 

“I see,” Mayu answered nonchalantly.

“‘I see?’ Aren’t you going to do anything about it?”

“No one is going to confess about it,” Mayu answered.

“At least scold your students or something.”

“If you tell the students to stop, are they going to stop?” Mayu questioned, pausing in her writing and finally looking up at Kiyoteru. Seeing he won’t get an answer from her, Kiyoteru turned to Meiko.

“What do you think, Ms. Sakine?”

“Well,” she began. “There’s truth to what you both are saying.”

“The most important thing,” Mayu interrupted. “Is to give students courage so they can learn to stand up for themselves. They will continue to be bullied because they don’t have the courage to fight. If they stop allowing themselves to be bullied, people will stop bullying them.” She resumed her writing. “Finding the culprit without doing that won’t do anything. Furthermore, since you stood up for her, she will get bullied even more.”

Closing her book, Mayu stood up and went off, leaving Kiyoteru to realize his mistake.

~~~

When the cleaning ended, SeeU simply grabbed her stuff and walked on, completely forgetting that Gumi has been waiting for her. Already out of the building, she continued walking, wanting to forget the day. She wanted to forget everything that had happened the past month. But then she’d still have to worry about her family

Without warning, two arms jabbed next to her, and SeeU collided with the ground on her bottom.

“I’m sorry,” Bruno teased.

“Are you okay?” Al asked tauntingly.

Both boys laughed only for a moment before they turned ahead and kept going, leaving SeeU behind. She didn’t bother standing up. SeeU sat there, staring at the ground, unable to comprehend what happened.

Soon, two arms held her from behind and pulled her up, guiding her to stand. 

“Are you okay?” Gumi asked. “I tried finding you but Oliver said you left, so we went out, hoping to catch you.”

Briefly, SeeU forgot who else was with Gumi and almost asked, only to see timid red eyes staring at her. 

“Come on,” Gumi captured her attention. “We’re going to Leon’s house for dinner.”

~~~

“You’re so pretty!” Rana exclaimed upon seeing SeeU for the first time. “My brother was right. You are very pretty. More so than that Ann girl.” 

SeeU couldn’t help but laugh nervously. Leon had told her before that Rana is full of energy, but the child appeared to be extremely excited over meeting her.

“Miki!” Rana cheered, seeing the skinny, timid girl. “I haven’t seen you in so long! I missed you!” Rana cried, hugging Miki very tightly. The latter, with a soft smile, returned the hug.

“Have you been fine, Rana?” Miki asked. 

“I’ve been very fine,” Rana answered happily. 

“Rana!” Gumi cried. “You don’t say hi to me anymore!”

“But Gumi, I’ve known you for almost seven years,” Rana complained. “It’s my very first time seeing SeeU, and my very second time seeing Miki.” 

“Rana!” Leon called out. “Won’t you at least help Yukari make dinner?”

“Yeah!” Rana answered, releasing her grip from Miki and heading to the kitchen. 

“I’m coming in!” Gumi announced, following Rana to see Yukari.

“SeeU, Miki, you two can sit in the family room,” Leon informed them, directing the two girls to the living room. “I’m gonna go check on those two girls. I’ll be back.” Leon left the two girls, praying that Gumi isn’t harassing his aunt again.

“They’re very nice,” SeeU commented. “Rana seems to be a cute little sister to have.”

“It sounds nice,” Miki replied, sitting down on a couch. SeeU followed and sat down next to her. “I don’t have any siblings, so I never knew what it’s like to have them.”

“I have an older sister,” SeeU remarked.

“I know,” Miki told her. “I met her before.”

 

“That’s right,” SeeU replied, remembering Uni telling her about her meeting with Miki.

“I think you need to get to know Miki before you say she is horrible.”

“Miki… can I call you Miki?” SeeU asked.

“It’s fine, as long as I can call you SeeU,” Miki answered.

“Miki,” SeeU began slowly. “What happened?”

Miki turned to her.

“What happened that day two years ago?”

“Do you really want to know?” Miki asked. “No one ever wants to know my side. They believe she’s always right.”

“I know, but-”

“You were her best friend too. And you didn’t want to believe she was every lying to you.”

“It’s over now!” SeeU exclaimed. “Ann is not my friend anymore.” SeeU’s eyes widened after hearing herself. “Did I…”

“If you really want to know, I’ll tell you,” Miki answered. “But I have to tell you who Kaito is as well.”

“Kaito?” SeeU wondered. “He’s Ann’s friend, right.”

“Yeah, but before he was her friend,” Miki began to tell her. “I was Kaito’s friend, and I was Kaito’s only friend in elementary school.”


	42. Miki and Kaito

“Remember, Kaito. Mommy loves you very much.”

A little boy of blue hair and eyes believed his mother’s words as she held him in her arms. Kaito’s father was always working abroad, so either the little boy was alone, or he was with his beloved mother. Kaito knew from a young age that the locals adored his mother very much. Each time the two walked in town together, people would confront the beautiful woman and express their glee to see her and even know her. 

“You are so beautiful, Mrs. Shion. Oh how I wish I could be more like you!” 

Kaito knew he was his mother’s little boy, and due to her caring charisma, he believed everything she told him. Including the things she said about his father….

“He never cares about us. All he does is work and never spend time with us, so don’t even think about loving him, Kaito,” she said so soothingly to the little boy every day. 

“I love you, mommy,” Kaito always told her.

“I love you too, Kaito. Only mommy loves you.”

…

“Who’s crying… huh? Mrs. Shion’s son!? Why are you crying!? Where’s your mother!?”

“My nanny isn’t back!” Kaito cried, explaining to the stranger. He had been wandering around, in hopes of seeing his nanny was on the way home. 

“Your nanny,” the stranger, someone who knew Kaito and his mother, pondered, only for his eyes to widened in fear. “Could it be-!!”

Kaito was taken to the man’s home. The wife attempted to console the little boy as the man tried to contact relatives of Kaito.

“The Shion’s boy is alone. His nanny was in that accident earlier today! I need to contact his mother. Is Mrs. Shion at work? …. Huh? She’s not there? She’s off today? … but her son said she went to work today…”

Kaito’s eyes widened. 

“She’s not at work!?” He screeched. The man didn’t know what to say.

…

“You were sleeping with another man!?”

“Now you’re home just to scold me!?”

Kaito clutched his ears shut with his hands, blocking out the swears his parents threw at each other, as well as the comments the neighbors began to spread.

“You know, I thought she was a good woman, but she was sleeping around with multiple men.”  
“People wondered why I never liked that woman. I caught her sleeping with my husband!”  
“Such a shame that a beautiful person was so manipulative and deceiving…”

Within days, Kaito’s daily life change.

First came a new nanny...

Then came the loss of all of his friends…

And finally, his beloved mother left him… but he’ll never forget the last words she told his father.

“You know, that boy was never your kid, but since you want him so badly, you can keep him. I never wanted him in the first place.”

~~~

“Class, we have a new student with us today,” the teacher in the third grade class announced at the very start of the day.

“I’m Furukawa Miki. It’s nice to meet you,” a young girl of dark pink hair smiled and bowed to her new classmates.

“Everyone, treat Furukawa nicely and welcome her into our class.”

Through her first week at her new school, Miki noticed something was a little off about her class.

“Hey, how come that boy is always alone?” She one day asked her classmates, pointing to a boy in blue.

“Oh, that’s Shion Kaito. We’re not allowed to be nice to him.”

“Huh?” Miki tilted her head, her eyebrows rising, trying to comprehend what she heard. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” was the answer she got. “All I know is my parents don’t want me to be friends with him.”

“Who are we talking about?” Another student ran to them, curious of the conversation.

“She wanted to know why no one talks to Shion.”

“Oh! My mommy told me his mommy was a liar, so he’s most likely a liar just like her.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Miki told them. The two students gaped at her.

“B-but you weren’t there!” One of them exclaimed. “Only you would understand if you were there three years ago!”

“What’s going on.”

“Guys, tell her that she can’t be friends with that boy!”

“Shion? Don’t be friends with him. His mother is a waste, so he’s one too.”

“His mommy slept with my daddy, so my parents aren’t together anymore. That’s why I’m not friends with him.”

With a sigh, Miki told her classmates the one thing they never wanted to hear.

“I’m going to talk to him.”

With widened eyes, they begged desperately for her to rethink her decision, but Miki had already made up her mind when she came up to his desk with a smile and asked him a simple question.

“Do you want to play?”

…

“That girl is really weird. She’s talking to him…”

“My mom is telling me not to talk to that girl, but she’s so nice…”

“What should I do…”

…

Two children, a boy and a girl, sat in a dining room, eating their ice cream freely. 

“I’m so glad Kaito has finally made a friend,” his grandmother, who sat near the two kids, rejoiced. “It’s been so hard ever since that scandal happened several years ago…”

“Scandal?” Miki asked, briefly remembering her classmates telling her about Kaito’s mother.

“It’s nothing important, dear,” the elder woman mumbled. “I’m just saying things again. I’m getting really old.” 

…

“Miki, I was told about your friend and his family earlier today,” Miki’s mother began to speak during dinner. “A woman in the circle didn’t like that you are friends with Kaito and encouraged me to terminate your relationship with him.”

Miki paused in eating her food and looked up at her mother.

“I was forced to speak out to the entire group to tell them I would do as they say… I spoke out to all of them, but they didn’t like what they heard, so they kicked me out of their group,” the mother spoke with a small smile.

“Mom, what did you say?”

“I told them that they should be ashamed of themselves. You’re too young to know everything now, but Kaito’s mother was doing something awful, very awful, and she was someone the community adored very much. When they finally realized what has happened, everyone was really mad, but because Kaito’s mother had already left at the time, they decided to punish Kaito for what she’s done. I told the group of women that they don’t deserve to be mothers for what they’re doing to that boy, and they should think twice about it. ‘How would you like it if your husband did something awful and everyone decided to punish you and your child for his crime?’ I asked them. But… they didn’t like that I disagreed with them and were even more unhappy when I told them I was proud of you for being his friend, so I was forced to resign from their circle.”

Miki remembered what her classmates told her and realized what Kaito’s mother has done.

‘Adultery.’

She remembered her father explained how it was wrong to claim your love for someone and then betray them by loving someone else behind their back. 

…

“Kaito, let’s enroll to Bokaro Junior High,” Miki suggested as they filled out their applications to attend a middle school after they graduate from high school.

“Huh? Isn’t that a long walk from here?” Kaito asked. “It’s all the way in the city. We would have to leave home by 8 to get there by 9!”

“But it’s better than here,” Miki persuaded him. “The people here are judgmental, and they still refuse to let go of what your mother did seven years ago. Also, your dad and stepmom are planning to move out of here so they'd be free from these people.”

“I see,” Kaito understood. “You have a point there.”

“Plus, Bokaro Junior High has a really good reputation. Maybe you’ll finally have a friend there besides me.”

“Really?” Kaito’s eyes widened. “Someone won’t judge me and actually will be our friend?”

“Of course,” Miki smiled, having always prayed for the day someone would look past what Kaito’s mother did and accept him for who he is.

~~~

In June 2012, on a rather humid day, the students were lively as usual. Miki took her steps into the classroom to see her best friend chatting happily with three other students, a boy with long, violet hair, a boy with pure snow hair, and a girl with a white bow on her head. Feeling glee in her veins, Miki didn’t hesitate to glomp behind her friend’s back.

“Good morning, Kaito!” She greeted cheerfully.

“Oh god,” Piko snarled. “Get a room,” he hissed.

“Oh shut up, Piko,” Kaito teased. “She’s my long time friend and nothing will ever change that,” he told him proudly. Those words, however, only stayed true for a few minutes after that. When the bell rang and everyone sat in their seats, the teacher arrived and started the day a little differently.

“We have a new student today,” he announced. “Please come in, Jody,” he politely gave the command to the transfer student waiting outside.

“Jody?” Someone whispered.

“Like Ann Jody, the model?” Another asked.

The suspicions that rosed was immediately confirmed by the sight of a curly blonde haired girl, seen in the magazines, entering the classroom.

“Class, this is Ann Jody,” the teacher announced, and the students gaped loudly. 

“It’s really her!”

“I’m Ann. It’s nice to meet you!” Ann smiled with a wink to her classmates.

…

“Kaito, do you wanna eat lunch with us?”  
“Kaito, do you wanna walk home together?”  
“Kaito, do you want to study tonight at my house?”

Every question his friends had asked him was met with the same response.

“Sorry, I’m going with Ann, but you guys can join us!”

After being around Ann for roughly fifteen minutes, Miki couldn’t bring herself to be near her again. When she was near her, Miki felt something was off about her, like Ann wasn’t real like everyone else felt she is. Miki was able to see right through Ann’s facade, that Ann really only likes the attention and nothing more. Unfortunately, Kaito couldn’t see it. Kaito saw a genuinely sweet girl who wished to be by his side. As a result, Kaito ceased spending any time with his longtime best friend, preferring to be with the famous teen.

Three months after Ann arrived at school, on one particular morning, she realized she had forgotten something.

“Sensei, I am so sorry,” Ann apologized so sweetly. “I left my textbook at home.”

“Really?” Her teacher replied. “Students who don’t have their textbooks shouldn’t be in this classroom. Please go out in the hall.”

“But sensei, it was only one time,” Ann cooed, attempting to get out of trouble.

“You said that all the past times you’ve forgotten your supplies, and I’m getting tired of it. Go out in the hall now,” she said sternly.

“But sensei,” Ann begged, but another voice interrupted her.

“Stop trying to buy yourself out of trouble!”

Everyone turned their eyes on the owner of the voice in shock.

“Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean you should have special rights,” Miki called Ann out, for the entire class to hear. “Do what our teacher told you to do and get out of here.”

It was only for a moment, but it had felt like an eternity of uncomfortable silence. With a gruff, Ann stood and walked out, but not before delivering a coldharded glance at Miki.

….

“You’re here alone?”

Miki turned around quickly, out of fear that someone caught her on the roof, as students are prohibited from being on the rooftop. To her surprise, the person who caught her was the very same person she had humiliated earlier that day.

“What’s wrong?” Miki asked, keeping her guard up, knowing full well that there was no way the girl in front of her can forgive her for what happened earlier.

“I was wondering,” Ann began to talk sweetly. “That maybe you should apologize for what you did earlier today. I mean, Kaito would like that very much, and what you said was way out of line,” she smiled, and Miki almost visibly cringed at how fake Ann was acting. 

“No,” Miki replied bluntly.

“But,” Ann attempted to persuade her. “Kaito would really like that.”

“What are you trying to do?” Miki asked her.

“What? I’m not trying to do anything,” Ann chuckled nervously.

“I’m not apologizing for what I did earlier today,” Miki confirmed her decision. “Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean you’re allowed to have special treatment.”

At last, Miki broke Ann’s shell.

“I see,” Ann whispered, and the sweet voice she has spoken with the past three months was gone. “I don’t understand why you’re trying to humiliate me and ruin my reputation.”

“What are you saying?” Miki asked. “It wouldn’t hurt for you to act like a normal student. This school is full of normal students after all.”

“You know,” Ann began to speak menacingly, staring at Miki’s eyes with a cold look. “It wouldn’t look very good if someone was against a sweet idol for no reason.” Without hesitation, Ann’s hand pierced Miki’s face, and she immediately grabbed her hair tightly. Miki screeched in pain, trying to grab Ann’s hands and attempt to release its grasp on her hair. “You little bitch,” Ann snarled, dropping her violently and jabbing her sides with her feet. “I came to this school to get more attention, in hopes of getting more positivity. My agent told me it would look good if I went to a public school and was friends with everyone!”

As Miki winced in pain, she felt hands clenching her neck tightly. She grabbed Ann’s wrist, only to realize the blonde girl was much stronger than her.

“I can’t let people like you humiliate me so freely,” Ann hissed. “But you know…” Ann slowly released her grip, allowing Miki to breathe. “If you apologize, I can forgive you for what you’ve done. Or else, I’ll make you suffer.”

Whenever Miki looked back on this moment, she never could decide if she made the right choice or not.

“Like hell I’ll forgive a brat as fake as you are!”

Immediately, Miki’s body was flipped around, and she found herself kneeling in front of Ann, with her hands forcibly clenched around Ann’s neck, held by Ann’s own hands. Then, a few students rushed to the rooftop, gaping at the sight of Miki strangling Ann.

“Help me!” Ann cried, and within seconds, Miki was roughly pushed off.

“Are you okay?” Someone asked Ann.

“That girl attacked me!” Ann exclaimed, and everyone gaped loudly. “She was accusing me of trying to use my fame to get everything I wanted! I tried to explain that I care about everyone here, but she didn’t believe me and started hitting me!”

Miki frozed, hearing Ann’s false words and knowing full well that there was nothing she can do to prove herself innocent. 

“How could you?”  
“Ann has been nothing but nice to us.”  
“I can’t believe I thought Furukawa was a sweet girl.”

In a matter of hours, word spread all over the student body, thus beginning the two years of endless assaults towards Miki. 

~~~

“It can’t be…” SeeU whispered. “What happened between you and Kaito?” She asked.

“He never spoke to me again after that day,” Miki answered, lacking emotion in her voice. “He came up to me, told me I was a despicable person, and his friendship with me was a mistake.” Then, Miki forced a smile. “It seemed he had forgotten that I was his only friend for four years because no one in school wanted to talk to him. They were corrupted by their haughty parents and believed Kaito was as bad as his mother, and they never wanted to give him a chance. I was the only one who defended him when they were bullying him, and yet…” SeeU saw a small tear roll down Miki’s cheek. “He completely disregarded everything I’ve done for him, just to be with her.”

“I’m sorry,” SeeU whispered. “I didn’t know…” 

“It’s fine,” Miki told her. “I have convinced myself the past two years that Kaito was a mistake.”

Hearing Miki say that, SeeU began to wonder if her being friends with Ann was one too.

“Hey~” Gumi entered the room and sat on the edge of the sofa next to Miki. “Dinner will be done in a few minutes,” she informed the two girls. “Rana wants to go to the zoo tomorrow. Would you two be interesting in coming with us?”

“Sure, it sounds like a lot of fun,” SeeU answered. Miki nodded.

“Hey, Gumi,” Miki turned her head to face her. “I have something to confess.”

“Oh?”

“The boycott two months ago… I’m sorry, Gumi,” Miki tried to speak but her tears began to spill. “I was Mayu’s pet,” she confessed. 

“Eh?” Gumi looked at her.

“Mayu told me she’d give me whatever I wanted if I warned her someone was doing something wrong, so I told her about the boycott. Mayu told me no one would ever be my friend, so I listened to her and did everything for her. She stopped the bullying. She threatened Ann to leave me alone. I began to study again. But… I didn’t realize that I already had happiness…” Miki spoke her confession very quickly, but Gumi heard it all. Without hesitating, Gumi wrapped her arms around her.

“It’s okay, Miki,” she comforted her. “We’re here for you. The boycott is in the past now. It’s okay.” Gumi whispered, stroking Miki’s hair softly. Miki’s sobs lessened. Without thinking, SeeU shifted closer to the two girls and embraced Miki, holding her gently.

“I’m sorry, Miki,” SeeU whispered, but loud enough for the two girls to hear. “I shouldn’t have been so blinded, but you really are a nice girl.”


	43. At the Zoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you could, please go to the Fanfiction upload of this chapter, as I discussed something a little important. It's not about me personally, or this fic specifically, but it concerns suicide and respect. If you can, thank you.

“Onii-chan, hurry up!” Rana ran ahead of the teenagers accompanying her. “Look at all the monkeys over there!” She cheered with the biggest smile on her face, pointing at the playful animals.

“The zoo of all places…” Leon groaned quietly and attempted to keep his grin showing. SeeU heard him mumble and felt his rather unhappy aura.

“You don’t like the zoo?” She asked curiously.

“Not really,” he answered honestly. “Looking at animals locked in cages aren’t really my thing.” He sighed. “I rather they wander freely.”

“Onii-chan!” Rana ran back to her brother and grabbed his arms. “Let’s go pet the rabbits!” Without even giving him a chance to answer, Rana pulled Leon with her, taking him away. SeeU chuckled at the sight, able to see herself as a child again.

“I was like that with Onee-chan a lot as a kid,” she smiled. Turning around, she saw the remaining two girls finally catching up to her. “Hey! We’re going to go see the rabbits!” She yelled.

“Okay!” Gumi responded very loudly. “Miki, why are you so slow?” She pouted, turning to her as SeeU departed.

“It’s too hot,” Miki mumbled, panting heavily.

“Come on,” Gumi grabbed Miki’s wrist. “We need to go see the rabbits.” Much like Rana, Gumi didn’t bother to give Miki a chance to answer, dragging her away. Between the heat and walking so much, Miki began to wish she was home, locked in her cool room, and reading the books her parents bought for her. However, Miki had also wanted so badly to spend time with her newfound friends, so refusing to go was not an answer for her. 

Once the two girls entered the petting zoo area, Gumi began to search for familiar faces. When she could finally breathe, Miki looked up, only to spot a familiar tall figure. Without hesitation, Miki began to walk towards him, and noticing her, Gumi began to follow.

“Did you find them?” She asked. 

“No, but there’s someone I want to see,” Miki answered.

“Oh? Who?”

At last, coming closer to him, Miki called out his name.

“Yuuma!”

He turned around, and recognizing the young girl, he smiled.

“Oh Miki, what a surprise to see you here. Are you with friends?”

“Yeah,” Miki nodded. “I’m with friends right now.” 

“Is he a family friend?” Gumi asked.

“Gumi, this is Kaai Yuuma,” Miki introduced the man to her. “Do you remember that day we went to the graveyard together?”

“Yeah,” Gumi answered.

“And that tombstone that belonged to that little girl?” Gumi nodded. “This is her father.”

Eyes widening in realization, Gumi quickly bowed. “It’s nice to meet you! And I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay,” he smiled. “Actually, why don’t you two meet my wife and son? They’re right here.” Yuuma directed Miki and Gumi to step closer. As they come near him, they noticed a woman sitting next to a toddler, holding a rabbit in her hands. “Rune, this is Miki, the girl I met in the graveyard. The girl next to her is her friend, Gumi.”

“Nice to meet you,” Rune nodded her head with a smile. “I’m Rune. I married Yuuma two years ago.” She took her left hand out to pet the little boy next to her. “Last year in January, we gave birth to our son, Shouta.”

“Wow! So cute!” Gumi cheered, mesmerized by the cuteness of the little boy. She didn’t hesitate to come closer and see him, eye to eye. “He’s such a cutie,” she complimented him with the biggest smile. Rune and Yuuma couldn’t help but chuckle as Miki smiled at her friend’s usual perkiness. “He reminds me of Ryuto, too.” Gumi whispered.

“Ryuto?” Rune asked. “Someone you know?”

“Yeah,” Gumi answered, soon finding herself forcing a smile. “He was my little brother, but…” The moment he heard her trail off, Yuuma immediately realized what has happened. 

“Are you two having fun here?” He asked in an attempt to change the subject.

“Yes!” Gumi cheered as Miki nodded, and soon, she felt arms around her.

“Miki!” Rana called for her. “I found you! We were wondering where you are.”

“I’m sorry,” Miki apologized. “Yuuma, I must go now.”

“It’s okay,” he smiled. “It was nice to see you again.”

~~~

“Miki, what’s your least favorite animal?” Rana asked, looking up at the girl sitting next to her. The five sat on a bench under a tree to enjoy the ice cream they all bought for themselves.

“I guess,” Miki began to ponder. “I dislike humans.”

“Humans?”

“Yeah,” Miki sighed. “They pollute the earth, and they create wars… most are simple minded and don’t want to believe the things they find pure are really wicked,” she explained, remembering school. 

“So, what’s your favorite animal?” Rana asked.

“My favorite is… well, I like sheep and lion,” Miki answered. “Sheep are really fluffy, and lions are really brave.”

“Let’s go see the lions,” Rana suggested happily, and without letting her speak, she pulled Miki away.

“She really loves Miki,” SeeU remarked, watching the two girls leave.

“Yeah, as much as Gumi loves staring at the giraffes there,” Leon compared Rana’s fondness of Miki to Gumi screaming at the giraffes nearby.

“Giraffe! Giraffe! Why do you have spots!?”

Leon and SeeU couldn’t help but snicker at Gumi’s enthusiasm.

“I’m amazed that Gumi can be so perky,” SeeU told him honestly. “Even after what happened to her years ago.”

“I take it she told you about her brother,” Leon replied and saw SeeU nod in response. “Yeah, I remember Ryuto. He was a cute little boy. He always looked up to her,” he recalled the past, looking up at the sky.

“I don’t know what I’d do if something like that ever happened to my sister,” SeeU told him. “I’d be devastated.”

“Actually,” Leon began to speak again. “Gumi’s entire world turned monochrome after Ryuto died.”

“Huh?” SeeU looked at him. He kept his gaze up at the sky.

“After that day, she stopped smiling. When the three of us, me, her, and Kokone, hanged out together, Gumi would never say anything or want to do anything either. She was like that up until she turned thirteen.”

“I see,” SeeU whispered. 

“Of course, her losing her brother wasn’t the only factor that made her lose her energy,” Leon whispered, swallowing another spoonful of vanilla ice cream. “Her parents… they remind me so much of my parents…”

“My parents,” SeeU’s voice trailed off, recalling her bickering with her mother while wandering when her dad will come home from work.

“Parents are the worse,” Leon commented, turning his head to look at SeeU’s eyes. “My mom is out of the picture while my dad is in jail, Gumi’s parents are so self-absorbed into their problems that they forget she even exists, and your father is too involved with work while your mother complains endlessly about it while pressuring you to be just like her.” He sighed. “Thank god Miki’s parents are nothing like ours.” 

SeeU nodded, turning her attention to the giraffes. “It’s always ‘You have to go to the same high school your sister is in’ or ‘You have to have perfect grades’ or ‘You need people like Ann.’ She never listens to me anymore. Dad is never around, so I can’t even talk to him anymore. Once he gets home, he just complains that mom isn’t cleaning right or forgot to do something he asked her to do. Right now, my only solace at home is my sister.” She turned her attention to the cup filled with melted ice cream. “She went to the hospital last night.”

“What?” Leon’s eyes widened.

“She passed out last night when she was shopping with her friends,” she told him. “I wanted to go see her, but my mother insisted I stay home and just help dad when he gets back from work.”

“Is she fine now?”

“She’s okay,” she answered. “She sent me a text this morning, saying she’ll be back in the evening.” As she stirred her frozen drink, two white sneakers came to her vision. Looking up, SeeU found green orbs looking at her.

“Where did Rana and Miki go?” Gumi wandered.

“They went to see the lions,” Leon answered.

“Oh, let’s go then!” Gumi took off, going after them. With a small smile, Leon and SeeU stood and follow.

~~~

“The lions are over there!” Rana pointed ahead and began to dash forward. After turning around, she ceased walking after noticing Miki’s face changed emotion. Just seconds ago, Miki had been smiling. “What’s wrong?” Rana asked, walking back to her. She turned, looking at the direction Miki was staring at, and Rana spotted cream hair, a red dress, and black tights and shoes.

Rana quickly put two and two together.

“I’m going to teach her a lesson,” Rana said with determination and began to step towards her. 

“No,” Miki insisted, grabbing Rana’s wrist. “Please don’t do it.”

“I might be young, but I’m tough,” Rana told her. “I won’t let her get away with what she did to my brother.” Hesitantly, Miki released her grip and couldn’t help but watch as Rana walked up towards her. 

“Excuse me,” Rana began to speak to her, standing behind her. “Can I have a moment?” Immediately, she turned around, and it seemed everything around them turned dark. Suddenly, the courage and determination Rana had suddenly was whisked away, and she found herself slowly trembling in her presence. “Um… I…” She realized she couldn’t speak properly, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

“Satou Leon’s little sister,” she began to speak. “Satou Rana-chan, nine years old and in fourth grade.” Rana found herself unable to speak, while also unable to stop staring into her red orbs.

“Even though you have a lot of friends,” Mayu continued. “You always believe that if you have a new best friend, you’ll be replacing Ryuto.” Rana’s eyes widened in disbelief. Of course she had known Mayu knew everything… she just didn’t think Mayu knew about her too, since she isn’t even her student, just a relative of one of them. 

“Excuse me,” Rana whispered and bowed. Very quickly, she turned around and ran into Miki, clutching her tightly.

“What did she say to you?” Miki whispered.

“She knows,” Rana whispered. “She knows too much,” she could only think that as she muttered, hugging Miki tightly. The older girl began to rub her back soothingly. 

“You’re with Satou’s sister?”

Miki looked up and saw the world around her turn dark as Mayu stood before her. 

“Rana,” she whispered. “Find your brother,” she quietly commanded. Without a second thought, Rana took off.

“Are you on a date with Satou, are you just doing a favor and spending time with his little sister?” Mayu asked. “He already has two girls wanting to do favors for him.”

“I’m not on a date,” Miki answered. “I’m here with him, Gumi, and SeeU. I’m spending time with my friends.”

“It seems you have forgotten something,” Mayu continued to speak in her cruel, childlike voice. “No one wants to be your friend because of what Jody did to you. Those people are only being friendly with you because they feel sorry for you.” She took a small step towards the frail girl. “Remember why you became my pet?” She asked with a small, sinister smile.

Several months ago, Miki had accepted the deal, believing the words to be true.

“No,” Miki began to speak. “I don’t want to be your pet anymore,” she told her, feeling a sudden power of determination rush through her body. “I thought I could get everything I wanted just by being your pet, and I thought I could be happy. I realized that I was wrong,” she told her. “Being with them, I realized how sincere they are, and I learned they weren’t talking to me because they felt pity for me. They truly care about me.”

For a brief second, Miki had thought she saw a sweet, genuine smile on Mayu’s face. However, when Miki looked again, all she saw was a straight face and menacing eyes boring into her. Feeling she had said enough, Miki turned around to return to her friends, only for Mayu to speak again.

“If you end your contract, people will bully you again.”

In the past, Miki had lived every day in fear of what anyone could do to her. However, hearing that sentence, she no longer felt frightened of what she would go through. Miki turned her head around and faced her teacher with a smile.

“I’ll be okay,” Miki told her. “My friends are by my side, so I’m not afraid because they’ll be there to help me out.” The last thing Miki expected was a genuine smile, the one she thought she saw earlier, appear on Mayu’s face.

“You won’t regret it?” Mayu asked her, and Miki realized how bright the day was, seeing the light surround them.

“Why would I regret it?” Miki asked.

“Not telling,” Mayu answered, her grin never leaving.

“Well, I won’t regret it,” Miki told her with a smile. “As long as my friends are with me, I’ll be happy, so I’ll never regret it.” Miki turned and finally departed. Never would Miki know what Mayu’s intentions were for several months to come.


	44. It's All Your Fault!

To say they didn’t look forward to school was an understatement. Gumi, Leon, SeeU, and Miki absolutely loathed the idea of attending school after the end of the weekend.

SeeU, least of all…

Her day began as it always did the past year or so, her mother and father bickering over everything. Her mother would accuse her husband of flirting with another woman and not being grateful for everything she does for him. Her father would tell his wife to start acting like a competent housewife for once and actually take care of the household. And like every other fight that breaks out, SeeU would drop her plate intentionally, feigning an accident, and her parents would forget what they were even fighting about in the first place.

She would’ve loved to stay home, but her mother would never allow it, so off to school SeeU went, and she was no longer in her safe haven. SeeU couldn’t decide what was the least painful. Perhaps the name-calling was the best out of everything she’s gotten, as it was nowhere physical. SeeU already had to get bandaids on her foot from the tacks hidden inside her school shoes. Her arms continued to bruise as she’s constantly shoved aside to the lockers violently. 

And to make her day much brighter, Ann was happily conversing with the students in the school, with Kaito, Chika, and Prima by her side. From the very moment SeeU was within Ann’s range of sight, the latter didn’t hesitate to speak of her as if their friendship was a mistake.

“You know, I used to be friends with that girl over there,” Ann began to gossip, pointing her elegant finger at SeeU from across the hallway. “But then she stole a classmate’s wallet and tried to frame me. A very good friend of mine caught her trying to put the wallet in my bag.” 

SeeU heard every word as the students around the model gasped and spoke poorly of her, and honestly, SeeU didn’t know how to react. Should she cringe over how fake Ann really was, or feel betrayed that her childhood friend didn’t even feel guilty for what she’s done to her? Even more, it was only a few days prior when Ann and her friends nearly drowned SeeU in the pool.

On the bright side, there was Leon, Gumi, and Miki. Occasionally, if either Leon or Gumi caught someone pushing SeeU or spitting on her, they didn’t hesitate to bruise the offender until they learned to not mess with SeeU again (or at least, when Leon and Gumi aren’t around). Miki, meanwhile, defended her from Kaito’s torment, and on this very day, after school ended, she caught him trying to push SeeU down the stairs.

Key word: try.

Oliver caught SeeU in time, and Miki watched as Kaito screeched at Oliver for defending someone who “deserved” to be beaten. Finally growing sick of Kaito’s petty violence, Miki didn’t hesitate to come towards him and threaten him with words.

“Hey, Shion, didn’t your mom abandon you in the past?” Miki asked in a nonchalant voice.

“W-what are you saying?” Kaito stumbled with his words. “My mom never left. She’s always been around.” He said with a trembling voice. He knew. She knew. 

“Really?” Miki feigned a look of surprise. “Because I heard ten years ago that a woman was driven out of her hometown because she was caught cheating on her husband. In fact, I even heard that she actually conceived her own child with another man behind her husband’s back.”

Kaito’s eyes widened, realizing that Miki was actually intending on revealing his secret in front of Oliver and SeeU. In horror, Kaito fled off in a panic, and Miki smiled, feeling satisfied to give her former friend a taste of her sweet revenge. 

~~~

“Miki, you sly little sheep!” Gumi complimented her upon hearing what she has done earlier that day. 

“I found him later on and told him if he bothered SeeU one more time, I’ll tell all his friends about his childhood,” Miki smiled, throwing a stone at the water. 

As the two girls continue to chat, SeeU kept gazing at the water, blocking the voices of her friends out of hearing. She couldn’t help but wonder if it really was okay to feel resentment towards Ann. She was given the impression that it absolutely is fine, seeing Miki has resented Kaito for betraying her two years ago, but SeeU couldn’t bring herself to hate Ann like her friends do.

“I honestly don’t know what Kokone is doing,” Gumi muttered, looking down at her phone.

“Shinzou Kokone?” Miki asked.

“I texted her earlier and asked her if she wanted to join us,” Gumi began explaining. “She said she would, and then I told her you and SeeU were with me too, and then she sent this text to me.” Gumi handed her phone to Miki, allowing her to read the message.

Actually, I just found out I’m busy. I’m sorry. Another time.

“She’s been doing that to me for almost a month now,” Gumi sighed. “She didn’t even come to my birthday and never explained why…”

SeeU closed her eyes, and she began to look back on her happier days. 

_“You’re so pretty,” Ann told her on their way to their first grade class. “How come no one has said anything to you?”_

_“Um…”_

_“Oh, are you scared?” Ann reassured her after seeing the tears threatening to spill from SeeU’s eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” she smiled._

“SeeU!”

Her eyes opened, seeing a doll in front of her.

“What are you dreaming about?” Leon asked curiously.

“I was thinking about me and Ann back when we first met,” she answered quietly. 

“I see,” Leon sighed. “SeeU, it might be best to forget about her,” he told her honestly. 

“I can’t, though,” she whispered. “How can I forget about her? She was my very first friend…”

“But, SeeU,” Leon sat down next to her, holding the doll in his lap. “Ann doesn’t care enough to keep her friendship with you,” he reminded her. “She cares more about her publicity than anything else.

“I’m sure she might still care about people at least,” SeeU tried to convince herself and Leon.

“SeeU, please,” Leon attempted to speak to her. “Forget about Ann. She’s old news, and her sweet self is dead.”

“It’s not gone!”

SeeU couldn’t understand why. She kept trying to tell herself to move on, but her past had haunted her, conveying a message to her. 

Ann couldn’t be completely gone, right?

“SeeU, if you’re hurting so much, try to let it go,” Leon tried to console her, but unfortunately, the message was interpreted wrongly.

“I can’t let it go!” SeeU cried out. 

Miki had already left, and Gumi went to use the restroom. When she finally came back, Gumi could only stare in both shock and confusion. She saw her two friends throwing insults at each other, and she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Then SeeU’s hand grabbed the doll out of Leon’s grasp, and Gumi saw in horror, the doll thrown out of range. She ran straight towards them as SeeU took off.

“SeeU, wait!” Gumi cried out to her. “That doll was-”

Immediately, Leon’s hands grasped Gumi’s wrist tightly.

“It’s fine,” he told her, and Gumi could only turn around and stare into his blue eyes.

“You’re fine with this?” She asked. “And what even happened?”

“I just upset her, that’s all,” Leon answered blankly, releasing his grip on his friend.

“Leon, you’re not fine,” Gumi told him. “I can see in your eyes that you’re hurting. We need to find that doll.”

“No, Gumi. It’s okay.”

“But that doll-”

“Enough!!”

The two were surrounded by silence, and Leon took a deep breathe before he realized he had frightened his own friend, the same girl who saved him from his despair a good seven years ago. The minute he saw her tremble in sadness, he realized what he had done.

“Gumi, I’m sorry,” Leon sighed. “But let’s go home,” he whispered, gently grabbing her wrist and guiding the two back to his home.

“But,” Gumi whispered so softly that Leon couldn’t hear her. “You treasure that doll so much…”

~~~

To say she felt bad about the event of the previous day was a huge understatement. SeeU felt absolutely awful when she had woken up the next morning. She couldn’t even think of it without feeling guilty. SeeU couldn’t even remember what the argument was about but figured it was probably a stupid, meaningless fight. Having felt awful about it, SeeU completely ignored her breakfast and walked to school in a dreary mood. Having entered the building, it never came to her that no one was saying anything to her. Actually, she didn’t even realize that people were smiling wickedly at her direction.

By the time she reached her classroom, she saw her own desk outside the hallway. The shared representative desk she and Miki had seated themselves in ever since they became representatives was outside, covered in many sticky notes. Without hesitation, she walked towards the desk, and her eyes widened, reading everything written on the desk.

Don’t come.  
The worst.  
Disappear!  
Disgusting!  
Stinks!  
Annoying.  
Meddler.  
Thief.

Her fingers tightened their hold on her bag. Her lips quivered. Taking a silent gulp, SeeU turned around and opened the door to her classroom, only to meet the cold liquid falling on her head. As she found herself drenched, the cheers rose in the class.

“What happened?” Ann asked tauntingly. “How did you get all wet?” She smiled menacingly.

“Did it rain?” Iroha asked with a pleasant smile. “Or maybe it only rains on people like you,” she then smirked.

“Or maybe you were crying because you know you don’t belong here!” Chika cheered, and everyone continued to laugh merrily, pointing at SeeU and continuing to throw insults.

“Maybe she’ll leave.”  
“She’s not wanted here.”  
“Poor girl needs to drown like she was supposed to.”

At last, SeeU couldn’t take it anymore. Dropping her schoolbag, she turned around and ran off, as fast as she could, no longer caring if anyone pointed at her or spoke coldly about her, as well as she ran past Miki, who could only stare at the direction SeeU went off to in confusion.

And very quickly, Miki’s confusion turned to horror as she heard the laughing in her classroom and realized what had happened.

~~~

SeeU didn’t care anymore. Her mother can scream at her for coming home and leaving school early at her own will, and she can kick her out for dropping out, but SeeU had already made up her mind. She wasn’t coming back to that school, let alone that classroom. She stepped out of the building, out of sight of all of the students, and she didn’t care if anyone stopped her for leaving school.

She only stopped walking when Mayu was in front of her.

“Are you running away?” She asked her, and SeeU could only look at her with teary eyes. “Where are you going to go?” Mayu continued to ask questions. “You had a fight with Satou Leon,” she reminded her, and SeeU silently cursed her teacher for knowing everything. “If you don’t have friends,” Mayu went on, speaking and uncaring of her feelings. “It’s all over.”

SeeU looked down to her feet, trying to hold in the sobs and not wanting to accept her reality of how much her life sucks. 

“Should I tell you what you can do?” Mayu asked another question, and SeeU looked up and gazed into her eyes. “Surrender to me,” she suggested. “Come to my side, and no one will bully you,” Mayu explained to her. “There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Hearing her words, SeeU felt it may be a good idea to succumb to her teacher’s demand. To be with her, she would be safe and happy. No more pain and suffering for her to deal with on a daily basis.

But then, SeeU remembered Miki and Rin.

“No,” SeeU whispered. “It’s all your fault!” She cried out and grabbed her teacher’s shoulders. “I don’t want to go to school anymore! Everyone wants to laugh at me all the time, and I’m tired of it!” The tears rolled down rapidly, and she continued to clutch onto her until she grabbed her wrists.

“Open your eyes!”

Hearing the familiar phrase from her, SeeU stared into Mayu’s eyes as they turned firm.

“If you’re suffering, do something about it,” Mayu told her, beginning her lecture. “Don’t rely on others. Stand up for yourself.” Mayu continued to stare into SeeU’s teary blue eyes for several seconds before she released her grip on her wrists, walking away and leaving the girl alone outside of the building.


	45. That Doll of His

When she had stepped into the building that morning, Gumi had been pondering on what to say to SeeU. Leon didn’t intend on coming to school, but he told Gumi that he was just feeling awful about the fight and felt she needed a day away from him. Gumi knew much better than that. She intended to tell SeeU that his doll meant something important to him, even if he had constantly denied it and said he has a bad habit of holding onto a child’s toy.

When she spotted familiar wavy blonde hair, Gumi was about to call for her, only to notice the desk in front of the quiet girl. Running up to her, Gumi took a look at the desk and her eyes widened in shock upon seeing the profanities written all over it. SeeU didn’t seem to notice Gumi was there and turned to enter the classroom. Then the cheers of the students snapped Gumi out of her temporary shock, and she turned to SeeU. Seeing her soaked, Gumi had realized what had happened, but before she could do anything, SeeU had ran off.

At that second, Gumi felt her blood boil, and her face heated up. The comments her classmates continued to make even after SeeU had left further infuriated the greenette. Without wasting a single second, Gumi stepped into the classroom.

The students in class 3-3 were cheering and smiling gleefully, satisfied of what they have done to Kim Dahee. They celebrated their triumph in wild hugs and smirks, feeling glad that they have finally drove her away.

Then, the celebration immediately died, followed by a shriek and a few gasps. Afterwards came the uncomfortable silence as the students stared at the two girls in a mixture of surprise and horror. 

Gumi couldn’t remember what has happened in the past ten seconds, but she easily figured it out by the feeling of her knuckles bruising and the sight of Ann on the floor, her left arm on a nearby desk and her right hand covering her face as the blood dripped on her skirt. When she finally looked up, Ann found herself shrieking when realizing that green eyes were glaring directly at her.

“You dare mess with SeeU or Miki one more time,” Gumi began to threaten her, speaking in a voice much colder than Mayu’s. “I’ll blind you and destroy that precious face of yours, you filthy bitch.”

No one could utter a single word. No one had expected this to happen. The very idea that anyone would dare make an idol bleed was beyond anyone’s belief. Even after Gumi left the classroom to cool off, no one could move a muscle, except one student who followed her out. 

When Gumi entered the rooftop, the only place prohibited from the students, the last thing she had expected was the door to open again after she had closed it behind her. Gumi turned around, and she saw the all too familiar pink eyes and brown hair. She would have been happy to see her face, except she didn’t look as happy as Gumi was.

“Why?” Kokone asked. “Are you trying to commit suicide?”

“She needs to stop being petty for fun,” Gumi answered and explained her actions. “She keeps bullying SeeU!”

“Let her do so!” For the first time, Kokone yelled at her friend in a serious tone. It was nothing like the times when Kokone would scold Gumi over silly ordeals. She was legitimately angry at her. “Let her get what she rightfully deserves!”

“What?” Her original intent to cool down after leaving had suddenly vanished. “SeeU didn’t deserve any of the treatment she has gotten the past month!”

“She sucked up to that idol and got what she deserved!”

“Ann manipulated her like she did to everyone else! She never gave a damn about anyone as long as she got her way and no one knew she stole the wallet!”

“But punching her!?” Kokone brought her hands to her temples to massage them. “Gumi, do you know what you have done!? Everyone is going to hate you now!”

“Fine by me,” Gumi told her. “The less people infatuated with that fake brat, the better. SeeU deserves much better than Ann gets by everyone.”

“SeeU,” Kokone mumbled. “Seeu. SeeU. SeeU!! That’s all you care about the past month! It’s always her, and you doing everything for her when she’s never done anything for you!” Kokone cried out. “What’s so special about that girl that you have to replace me with her!?” 

“What?” Gumi’s eyes widened. Replace?

“I’ve been your best friend far longer than anyone else ever had. I know you better than anyone else, and yet, you want to spend time with everyone,” Kokone finally admitted her true feelings. “And I hate it! I absolutely hate it when you spend time with someone else who isn’t me or Leon!” 

Gumi didn’t know how to react to her friend’s words. What could she even say?

“Why?” Gumi muttered out.

“Because!” Kokone began. “How could I? I can’t stand anyone else who isn’t you! Everyone is intolerable! I just want you, but you’re replacing me with her!!”

“Replacing you?” Gumi finally figured out what to say. “You think I’m replacing you?”

“Gumi, stop spending time with SeeU!” Kokone begged. “Look at what’s happened! Now everyone is going to hate you because you got corrupted and you can’t fight against the world! Look at what happened with the boycott!”

“The boycott? You mean the one you lied to me about and said you were on my side when you really were too cowardly to stand up to her?” Gumi asked, and without giving Kokone a chance to answer, she kept going. “And if I intended on replacing you, then please explain all the text messages I’ve sent you the past month, asking you to hang out with us, and every single time, you excuse yourself with anything you can come up with!” 

“Because I don’t want to be with her!” Kokone finally admitted. “I don’t wanna be friends with someone who’s close to Ann! And anyone close to Ann is as manipulative as her!”

“SeeU isn’t like that!” Gumi scolded her. “And I can’t believe you of all people would say such things!”

“Listen to me!” 

“No! Listen to me!!” Gumi interrupted. “You are so arrogant to assume that SeeU is a terrible person that you deliberately avoided me too! You refused to come hang out with me anymore! You always excused yourself as busy! You even ditched my birthday!!”

“I was busy-”

“You were not!! I called your mom that night, and she told me you had gone to my party, but you never showed up!” As she spoke, she felt water dripping down on her face. The feeling that her own friend intentionally avoided her over something so petty was slowly crushing her. “Why, Kokone?”

For a good fifteen seconds, Kokone couldn’t say anything as she watch Gumi stare deeply at her with a look of grief. Then, she decided to be honest.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Kokone said softly. “I can’t handle the very thought of you being friends with that girl.” She turned around and grabbed the door handle. “I’m sorry, Gumi, but I don’t think I can be your friend anymore.”

“Kokone…” Gumi stood, stunned by her words. “Please don’t say that… please give her a cha-

 

“No!!” Kokone screamed once more. “I absolutely can’t do that!” She rushed out, slamming the door shut behind her, leaving Gumi to kneel down as she wailed as loud as she could, as no one could hear her.

~~~

The couple bid farewell with gratitude for the cafe, describing their meals as extremely yummy. When they left, Yukari began to clean the table after her coworker took out the dishes. As she completed cleaning, Yukari stood up and caught a familiar sight walking outside. Without a moment of hesitation, Yukari went after her.

“SeeU,” Yukari called out to her. She paused in her footing and she slowly turned and faced the older woman. “Are you okay?” Yukari asked worriedly, seeing SeeU’s red eyes. “Did something happen at school?”

“It’s nothing,” SeeU answered with a forced smile.

Yukari didn’t buy it. “Come with me,” she insisted, grabbing her hand and guiding her to the shop. “Have a seat over there?” Yukari kindly offered her a table. “Here’s the menu.” SeeU hesitated, but she accepted it. “Tell me what you want. It’s on the house,” she smiled.

“Thank you,” SeeU muttered, and she couldn’t help but give a small, genuine smile.

~~~

Gumi couldn’t stand to be in school any longer. She knew she’d get in trouble with the school faculty, but it wasn’t like her parents would even care either way. Gumi walked out of the building, went straight back home, changed out of her school uniform and dressed herself in a simple tshirt and jeans. She was thankful she got to take her stuff home at least. When she had finally decided to leave the roof after her sobfest, she saw her class had went to a different room, so she was able to sneak in and grab her bag. Taking her cellphone out, she texted the only person she knew she can console to. After putting on her tennis shoes, she looked at her phone.

‘You know where I’m at.”

Gumi head out, walking all the way down to the city until she reached the karaoke bar. She took the elevator to her designated floor and entered the room where she waited for her.

“Gumi, what’s wrong?” Miku asked before turning her head to see her. Once she saw her face, Miku didn’t hesitate to stand up and walk towards the girl. “When I first met you,” Miku cupped Gumi’s face while speaking. “You looked just like this,” she concluded, lightly touching her nose.

“That was two years ago, on my thirteenth birthday,” Gumi remembered, and the two sat down. “Kokone ended her friendship with me today.”

“Another one,” Miku sighed. “But unlike Rin, Kokone has been your friend for over ten years, hasn’t she?” Gumi nodded. “Well, Gumi, you at least got to have a friend. I didn’t have a single friend when I went to school.”

“Miku,” Gumi started speaking while snuggling onto Miku’s chest. “We talk every now and then, but you never told me about how you were like in middle school.” Gumi lifted her head up and stared at her eyes. “I honestly would’ve imagine you had a lot of friends.”

Miku chuckled. “Actually, it was the opposite. No one liked me in middle school at all. To be honest though, I kind of deserved it.”

Curiosity struck the teen hard.

“What do you mean?”

“I did something very stupid,” Miku began. “When I was in my second year of middle school, I kind of grew to like someone very much. When I first spoke to this person, they told me I was cute.” Gumi saw the adult smile as she recalled the memory. “It was the very first time anyone has called me cute. My mother never complimented my appearance, nor did she ever really cared about what I did. My father was too involved in work to even care about me. I’ve spent my years in elementary school being told by my classmates that I was nothing special and no one would ever notice me.”

“How mean,” Gumi commented. “You’re very pretty, Miku.”

“Thank you,” Miku smiled. “When this person told me I was cute, I was very happy. So happy that I wanted so badly to bond with them. So I’d always follow them around and ask questions, and I even wrote letters to them.” As she paused, Miku sighed deeply. “Then, one day, they told me to distance themselves from me. They told me they like everyone equally, and they couldn’t treat me differently from everyone else.”

“That’s sad,” Gumi sympathized with her.

“I was very upset, but I was also driven mad. I wanted to be the only person they’ll love, so I didn’t stop following them. However, they began to ignore my advances, so I thought that if I acted bad, they’d notice me. So I began to misbehave at school. I disrupted class. I set a science lab on fire. I stopped doing my homework.” Miku took a deep breathe before continuing. “I began to self-harm myself.”

Gumi stared at her in horror. 

“You’re dying to know what happened next, don’t you?” Miku stuck her tongue out.

“What happened?” Gumi wandered. 

Miku couldn’t help but chucked. “My mom saw my bruises and was terrified. She asked me how I got them. At that time, I thought she’d disown me or called me a coward if I told her I inflicted my own wounds… so I told her the person I like was abusing me.”

“You didn’t,” Gumi whispered, her mouth left open, unable to accept what she heard. 

“I did,” Miku told her. “My mom freaked out so badly that she called the school and told the faculty what they did to me, or what I claimed they did. After that, they talked to me again.” Miku once again sighed. “They were so disappointed in me. They felt as if I had betrayed them. They even slapped me and asked why I did such a thing to them. Then a teacher came and asked what was going on.” Miku brought her hand to her face, remembering that day as if it had happened before. “I was a coward. I ran to the teacher and told them they threatened to beat me.”

“Miku…” Gumi didn’t want to believe everything Miku was telling her was true, but the look on the woman’s face said otherwise.

“After that day, they were gone, and in a few days, all my classmates learned what I have done,” Miku continued telling Gumi of the past event. “Half the class shunned me. The other half resented me openly. And there was this one classmate I had… she knew who they were the year before and had always admired them, so when she learned that I was the reason they left, she was so distraught,” Miku continued, recalling her classmate’s reaction. “For the rest of the year, she’d openly scorn me and didn’t hesitate to remind me of what I’ve done. Then in my last year of junior high school, she and I were in different classes, but she never forgave me for what I did.” Closing her eyes, Miku gave a small smile. “That was twelve years ago.”

“That’s horrible,” Gumi muttered. 

“I deserved it,” Miku admitted.

“No you didn’t!” Gumi exclaimed. “All you were doing was expressing how much you wanted to be with that person. They shouldn’t have pushed you away like that.”

“It’s a very complicated situation,” Miku sighed. “But I hope that classmate of mine has forgiven me for what I did back in middle school.”

“Maybe she does,” Gumi smiled. “After all, it was twelve years ago. You’d be very petty if you held a grudge on someone for that long, or even longer than that.”

“I hope so,” Miku smiled, rubbing Gumi’s head.

“I hope you forgave me, Sakine-san.”

~~~

“What happened?” Yukari asked in a caring voice. “I can tell something happened at school,” she admitted as SeeU took a bite out of her hamburg steak.

“My classmates pulled a prank on me,” SeeU answered quietly. “They dropped a balloon on me and laughed about it.”

“How awful,” Yukari commented.

“They also vandalized my desk,” SeeU added. “Said a lot of things I didn’t like,” she admitted.

“Teenagers can be very awful,” Yukari sighed. “I’m sorry that happened to you. Leon has also told me you’ve been given a very hard time the past month. I also heard,” Yukari looked down at her fingers before continue. “They pulled a very dangerous prank on you last Friday.”

“Yeah,” SeeU nodded. 

“I wasn’t bullied in junior high school,” Yukari began to confess. “But I didn’t have any friends at the time.” Seeing SeeU look up at her with curiosity, she continued. “Everyone favored my sister over me. She was the beautiful girl who got everything she wanted, while I was the smart girl who had to buy what I wanted with my own money.”

“How sad,” SeeU replied. “Did your parents even pay attention to you.”

Yukari shook her head. “They never cared about me. Even though I was one of the smartest students in my high school, my mother and father had always preferred my sister over me. In fact, they treasured her so much that to say they were upset when she abandoned us was a huge understatement.” Grabbing her coffee and taking a sip, Yukari continued to talk. “They despaired over my sister abandoning them so much that it basically killed them.”

SeeU didn’t know what to say, but she couldn’t help but feel pity for Yukari and her parents.

“It’s been seventeen years since I last saw my sister,” Yukari stated. “I wonder if she still desires sex.”

Hearing that comment, SeeU suddenly realized it.

“Is your sister Leon’s mother?” She asked.

Yukari nodded. “Actually, speaking of Leon, I don’t know if you noticed, but he didn’t go to school today.”

“Huh?”

“He told me this morning that he didn’t feel well.” Yukari took another sip of her coffee. “I think might have something to do with that doll.”

“Doll?” Suddenly recalling the events of the previous day, SeeU couldn’t help but feel the small pint of guilt blossom in her chest.

“He seemed to have lost that doll yesterday,” Yukari continued. “I can understand why it would upset him. It’s very precious to him after all…”

Hearing her comment, SeeU’s eyes widened. “It’s precious to him?” She asked. After seeing her nod, SeeU continued to feel worse.

“That doll was a gift to him by his mother,” Yukari explained. 

“Really?” SeeU suddenly felt as if she should dig her own grave.

“He told me years ago that on the last day he saw her, she gave him that doll,” Yukari continued. “‘Play with that doll until mommy returns,’ she had told him.” She sighed. “That was seven years ago. No matter how much Leon played with it, she never came back.” Yukari finished the last of her coffee. Setting it down, Yukari continued to talk. “Leon tells me he doesn’t care if his mother never returns, but I know that he hopes to see her again. He believes that if he holds onto that doll, then one day, she’ll return to him and Rana.” 

In that seat in the diner, SeeU couldn’t stop herself from mentally telling herself to throw herself under a bus. How could she forgive herself for what she did?

“SeeU?”

Looking up, SeeU saw familiar green eyes.

“Gumi?”

“Oh, Gumi~” Yukari smiled. “Are you ditching school too?”

 

“Yeah, something like that,” Gumi chuckled. “Or maybe I’ll be suspended. I don’t know yet.”

“Oh, why?”

“I punched a girl.”

SeeU’s eyes widened as Yukari laughed at the comment.

“You punched her!?” SeeU shrieked.

“It’s no big deal,” Gumi said lightly. “I just needed to send the message home that she has to stop bullying my friends if she doesn’t want anymore damage to her face.”

“That’s a great way to send the message,” Yukari chuckled. 

“Hey, Gumi,” SeeU called for her attention. “I need to find Leon’s doll. Will you help me?”

“Yes I will!” Gumi agreed happily.


	46. Let's Remember Today

A ball reached the sky before falling into the hands of Leon. He found the strength to go outside and roam around after his sister had asked him sweetly to go play outside, since he had spent the entire day in his room, sleeping or browsing the internet. Leon could never refuse his sister’s requests, so he grabbed a ball and stepped. Having walked around aimlessly, he continued to play a simple game of catch on his own before noticing he walked back to the port area. There, he spotted green and gold.

“What are you doing?” Leon asked, coming towards the two girls in the grass. 

“Looking for Tamaki,” Gumi answered.

“Forget about it,” Leon sighed. “I don’t need it.”

“What are you saying?” SeeU questioned, turning her attention towards him. “It’s your treasure,” she reminded him. “You can’t give up so easily.” 

SeeU continued searching, trying to find the soft little toy. As she turned her search over towards the water and sand, Gumi kept looking in the tall grass. 

“You don’t have to,” Leon whispered before sighing. “Why are you trying so hard?” Soon, Leon remembered the intentions his friend has all these past months. “I realized I never asked this, but Gumi, why are you so insistent on disobeying Mayu? Why do you want to get along with your classmates?”

“Eh? I didn’t tell you?” Gumi looked up and stared at Leon with curiosity.

“Nope,” he answered, shaking his hand.

“Well, I don’t know why we’re all in the same class together, and it’s weird we’re all together,” Gumi began to explain. “You, me, and Kokone end up together. Ann and her posse are together with Miki. Other groups of friends are together. It can’t really be destiny. 24 of us together in the same classroom is fate, don’t you think?”

“Well, you are right,” Leon pointed out. “Normally Miki wouldn’t even be allowed in the same room as Ann, especially when she had paid the staff to keep her out, and it’s not as common to be in a class with two best friends than it is to be in a class with one of them.”

“I feel it’ll do good to get along to everyone,” Gumi admitted. “We can make good memories together.” Finally, she paused in looking for his doll, and she walked towards him. “Leon, that doll is very important to you,” she reminded him. “Just like how the phone charm I bought and the drawing I hid in my room are important to me.”

“It’s different, Gumi,” Leon tried to explain. “Your brother is no longer around, but my mother is most likely still alive, and she’s not coming back.”

“But you still kept the doll,” Gumi pointed out. “Even if you don’t want to admit it, a part of you wishes for your mother to return as a better person someday.” Gumi sighed. “Rana hopes to meet her one day too.”

“What?” Leon’s eyes grew wide, hearing her words. “What makes you say that?”

“She told me when we were at the zoo,” Gumi explained. “She told me how you revealed to her that your mother abandoned you two to a man who treated you poorly, and then Yukari had once told her that your doll was a gift from your mother.”

“She said that?” Leon was a little surprised, although he should know how Yukari is like, of all people. Yukari doesn’t mind telling people about her niece and nephew… only if she felt they can be trusted with the information. 

“Leon,” Gumi called his name while gently grabbing his hands with hers. “Let’s remember today,” she told him. “Today will be the day we find Tamaki.” 

Leon didn’t have time to come up with a reply to Gumi, as SeeU’s following words took him by surprise.

“I found it!”

Gumi and Leon ran towards her, seeing SeeU wave at them, with a familiar doll in her hand.

~~~

Gently cleaning the doll, removing all the dirt, SeeU dried the doll as best she can after watering it clean. After finding herself as successful as she could, she walked back to her two friends, handing the doll to Leon with a smile.

“I’m so sorry, Leon,” SeeU apologized to him. 

“No worries,” Leon told her with a smile. “Thank you,” he said while accepting his doll, now clean and back to him. “Now, Gumi,” he began to speak to his childhood friend. “Despite everything that’s happened with Kokone, know that I’ll always stay by your side.”

“Kokone?” SeeU wondered.

“Kokone and I are going to separate for now,” Gumi explained. “I just told Leon what happened, and honestly, it’s for the best.”

“I see,” SeeU whispered.

“It’s fine,” Leon said while standing up. “We have each other and Miki, so we’ll be fine, and we’ll find a way to beat Mayu,” he informed them, followed by lying on the ground.

“Are you going to do what we always do as kids?” Gumi asked, standing up. “Don’t do it without me!” She cried, lying down next to Leon.

“What are you two doing?” SeeU asked, growing a little curious.

“Yukari taught us this when we were in grade 3 in primary school,” Gumi began to explain.

“During hard times, count to eight and stand up,” Leon finished. “You’ll end up with a lot of spirit.”

“I see,” SeeU said quietly. Without a moment of hesitation, she lied down next to Gumi. The three teenagers all looked at each other, eye to eye. 

“Sei no!” They all chanted together. “One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight!” Immediately, the three stood up, feeling energy running in their veins.

“Let’s do it!”

~~~

SeeU didn’t waste any time coming to school. She continued to jog her way there until she met up with two familiar faces.

“Good morning, Gumi and Leon!” She greeted them as she reached them.

“Good morning,” they both greeted with a smile. As they arrive at the gates, Leon found a girl of cherry hair and ran off to her, followed by Gumi and SeeU.

“Good morning, Miki,” Leon greeted her happily, and the two girls caught up and greeted her.

“Good morning,” Miki responded with a smile. 

The four continued walking in the building, without a care in the world.

“I wonder how class was yesterday~”  
“I wonder if I’ll be kicked out for punching her.”  
“You’re fine. No one said anything about it. They were too frightened.”  
“Maybe everyone forgot about us.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Then they caught the familiar sight of a petite figure in black.

“Good morning.”

Each student greeted her, and she returned the favor. Mayu continued to walk down, until her eyes caught the four of them. They had all assumed Mayu would do something.

Scold them.

Threaten them.

Bring up the incident with Ann’s seemingly broken nose.

Anything.

Except Mayu kept walking, ignoring the four of them. Realizing nothing would happen, the group of friends continued up the stairs. As they finally reach their classroom, they noticed the rep desk still outside. Without any communication, they went straight to work.

Gumi and Leon took off all the sticky notes plastered on the desk.

SeeU and Miki cleaned off all the profanities vandalized on the desk.

Placing the chairs on the desk, Gumi and Leon lifted it, and Miki opened the door, allowing the other three to come in. Once they were all inside the noisy classroom full of classmates wanting to chatter, they wasted no time.

“Good morning, everyone!!”

Immediately, the chatter ceased, and everyone looked at them, some in confusion, some in horror, and a few that really never cared. The four traveled to the back, two of them carrying the desk. Upon placing it back where it belonged and setting the chairs down, the four looked up at their twenty classmates, all of whom kept their eyes on them. 

“Starting today, we will propose our own comics!” Leon announced proudly. 

“We are called called Count Eight!” SeeU spoke next.

“You know, it’s very hot outside,” Gumi complained, playing along with the unplanned skit.

“But it fits the summery feeling,” Miki continued.

“We gotta be careful when we go out!” SeeU gaped.

“You know, my sister said it was really hot right before she melted!” Leon stated boldly.

“What! I can’t believe that!” Gumi cheered, playfully hitting him.

“Can’t believe hit!” SeeU mimicked him.

“Can’t believe hit!” Miki repeated while clapping her hands together.

As if on cue, the bell rang, and everyone returned to their seats. Miki and SeeU took their spots in the representative desk, while Leon and Gumi sat next to each other near their group. 

“Stand,” Miki began, starting the typical routine, followed by everyone standing. “Bow.” Everyone bows while greeting good morning. “Sit,” Miki ends the gorei, except she and SeeU remained standing as the rest of the class sat down. 

“Sensei,” SeeU began to speak to her teacher. “I won’t run away anymore.”

“I won’t, either,” Miki continued. “From now on, I’ll stay by SeeU’s side.”

In a moment of silence, Mayu kept her gaze at them, only to begin speaking.

“Are you taking this lightly because summer break is coming?” Mayu asked. “But let me tell you something,” she continued, and the moment they saw her sinister grin, the class knew nothing good was going to come out of her mouth.

“In my class, there is no such thing as summer break.”

Upon hearing those words, the students began to whisper among each other in shock. 

“It will be the same as always,” Mayu continued. “You will all continue to come to school as you have done so the past few months.”


	47. There is No Summer Break

“As you have always done up til now, you will continue to go to school during the summer break.”

Ignoring all the complaints from the mouths of the students, Mayu organized the papers on her desk.

“I will be giving you the schedule for the upcoming weeks,” Mayu announced. “Group leaders, please hand them to your group.”

Without hesitation but feeling bitter, the six group leaders, Tonio, Miriam, Piko, Miki, Ann, and Rin collected the schedules and handed them to the people they’re responsible for. 

“To keep track of attendance,” Mayu continued, then collecting cards from her bag and keeping them in her hand. “I’ll put these stickers on your card,” she announced, facing the class and holding the stickers in her other hand. “If you do well in classes like gym or music, or say, if you greet properly, I’ll give you a sticker.” As the students collect their schedules, she continued. “Always have the cards around your neck. Wear them every day,” she commanded.

With a different set of cards in her hands, Mayu left her podium, heading towards the back and continuing her lectures.

“I will tally up the amount of stickers you have and put them on the graph,” Mayu continued to inform them of the upcoming break. “As expected,” Mayu spoke on while placing the cards on the board. “The person and group with the lowest scores will remain behind as punishment.” With all the cards placed, the students near Mayu saw the names of them all, labelled in their groups. “Maybe, I should have the students with the lowest points sit on top of their desks and have them reflect on their actions,” Mayu said nonchalantly as she gazed at her students. “Of course.” Mayu wouldn’t give her students a break either. “I’ll increase the amount of chores you had up til now.”

Seemingly concluding her lecture, Mayu began to walk towards the front when Miriam stood up.

“Sensei, is there an award for students with high scores?”

“Of course,” Mayu said with a small smile and devious glint. “Those who fill up their cards will receive a graduation certificate.” Reaching her podium, she never stopped talking. “If you achieve yours, you don’t have to come to school for the next semester. Students planning to attend a private school next year can focus on studying, and other students can sleep in and won’t need to complain about having to arrive on time.”

No one said anything, and the students who normally would couldn’t be bothered.

~~~

“I don’t wanna go to school during the summer!” Leon ranted, screeching at the top of his lungs.

“I can’t believe she’d bribe us all like that,” Gumi whined, sitting next to him and hiding her head with her arms on the table. “Make us go so we can earn that certificate!”

“She’s really mean,” Rana whispered, sitting across the two. “I hope she’s still not teaching Bokaro Junior High by the time I enroll there.”

“I guess it can’t be helped,” Yukar spoke while stirring the soup in her pot, attempting to console the two teenagers. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. I wouldn’t care if you ditch and just go to school again when the next semester starts.”

“You’re the best,” Leon smiled brightly.

“Just as long as you know what you’re doing after middle school,” Yukari commented. “Honestly, I’d love for you to continue your education, but you’re free to do as you please.”

“You’re amazing, Yukari~” Leon couldn’t help but compliment her more.

 

“What a suck up,” Gumi mumbled.

“Is home bad still?” Yukari asked, changing the subject.

“Unfortunately,” Gumi muffled her answer, though Yukari heard her.

“I see,” Yukari sighed. “Remember you’re always welcome to stay with us, even if things seem chill over there.”

Although no one could see her face, Gumi’s small smile form.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

~~~

“This is so good!” SeeU’s father cheered happily, eating his food in glee. “My wife’s cooking is getting better,” he smiled.

“That’s nice,” Galaco commented rather dully, unwilling to accept the compliment.

“Here, SeeU,” her dad said. “You like hamburger, right?” With great care, he placed his meat into her bowl.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Since summer vacation is coming, let’s go somewhere!” her dad announced joyfully, oblivious to SeeU’s unhappy charisma and Galaco’s cold-hearted demeanor. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Galaco asked coldly.

“Nothing,” Mr. Kim answered. “I want to spend time with my family.”

“You say that, but I’m sure you’re doing it out of guilt,” Galaco began to throw accusations at him.

“What are you saying?” He asked. “Don’t say weird things.”

“You never praise my cooking,” she told him. “And now with those emai-”

Immediately, Galaco’s words were interrupted when a pitcher fell over, juice spilling everywhere.

“I’m sorry,” Uni said, feigning an apology as her parents freak out. “I spilled it,” Uni continued, stating the obvious. 

Despite the scene going on in front of her, SeeU couldn’t forget the news Mayu gave.

~~~

“I’m home,” Gumi announced rather dully while taking her shoes off at her home. She never went far from the entrance when a voice called out for her.

“Oh, you’re home,” a soft voice said quietly. Hearing her, Gumi took a step into the family room.

“I see you’re calm today, mother,” Gumi commented, her sight gazing at the lingering wastes decorating the room.

“Were you at a friend’s house?” She asked. 

“Where’s father?” Gumi questioned, ignoring her mother.

“Probably at a bar,” her mother answered with resentment laced in her tone. “Probably drinking his guilt away.”

“Mother, start taking responsibility,” Gumi told her rather coldly.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m tired of having to clean the house every week because you can’t clean after yourself.”

“I see,” her mother sighed. “I guess I could do that. I mean, your father isn’t home.”

“Patch things up with him too,” Gumi requested.

“Why?”

“I’m tired of coming home every night just to hear you two fighting.”

“We’re not fighting now,” her mother smiled blissfully.

“He’s not home.”

“And that’s perfect,” her mother boasted. “We don’t really need him around. I mean, after all, if he wasn’t such a lousy man, Ryuto would still be around.”

“Stop pinning blame.”

“But it’s tru-”

“STOP IT!!” With the blood boiling inside her, Gumi couldn’t keep calm any longer. “Why can’t you take responsibility for yourself!?” She asked fiercely. “Don’t you understand how selfish you are?”

“Megumi…” Her mother appeared speechless. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t understand,” Gumi harshly told her. “Because you don’t want to understand. You don’t want to admit that everything happening between you and father is also your fault. Both of you are to blame, but neither of you want to accept it and continue to push all the blame on each other.”Growing tired of seeing her face, Gumi turned around. "I'll just go out for a while."

"Gumi, wait!" Her mother cried out and dashed off the sofa, chasing her daughter until she grabbed her arm roughly. "Don't leave!"

"Let go,"Gumi requested, wincing in pain.

"Don't even think of leaving! You know what happens if you dare leave your mother!"

"I know! Now let go!" Dropping her school bag, Gumi grabbed her mother's wrists and dug her nails deep until she let go. Upon release, Gumi grabbed her school bag and ran up to her room immediately, locking the bedroom door behind her to ensure her mother won't come after her. 

~~~

“Are you excited that summer break is almost here?”

Once she heard her mother’s words, Miki realized she forgot about her task.

“I need to give this to you and dad,” Miki told her mother, reaching into her bag, and pulling out the schedule. “My teacher will explain it in a meeting,” she informed her, handing the paper to her mother.

Mrs. Furukawa examined the words on the paper, her mouth slowly forming an “o” shape as she registered what it said.

“You have to go to school during the summer break? What is this?”

“She said she’ll explain it,” Miki repeated. “I gotta go now,” she announced standing up from the kitchen table. “I’ll see you later, mother,” she told her, heading out to the door.

“Okay,” her mother said slowly, still in shock from the schedule she was given. “Have a good day at school, Miki.” Then, Mrs. Furukawa recalled a thought from her mind. “Miki, please, when you see your friends, thank them for me.”

“Huh?” Miki had put her shoes on when she heard her.

“If it weren’t for them,” Mrs. Furukawa continued, standing up and heading towards her daughter. “You would have been lonely still, and have to defend yourself from that girl.” Her mother sighed. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t do enough.”

“It’s okay, mother,” Miki told her with a smile. “I’ll tell my friends your gratitude for them.” Afterwards, Miki left her home to walk a long distance to school. As her daughter left, Mrs. Furukawa began to wonder. 

“Although, I feel this wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for her teacher…”

~~~

“Here’s the god awful schedule,” Leon sighed, handing it to Yukari as he prepares to leave.

“Didn’t sleep last night?” Yukari asked jokingly, accepting the paper and reading it.

“Couldn’t cuz of school,” Leon groaned. 

“You’ll be fine,” Yukari tried to comfort him, a small smile forming.

“I know I will be,” Leon continued whining. “But it’s hell…”

“Good luck,” Yukari said nonchalantly, knowing Leon will go through the day.

“See ya,” Leon bid farewell to his aunt, leaving his home.

“You’ll be fine, Leon,” Yukari whispered, recalling the day Leon and Rana came to her home while learning the situation altogether.

~~~

Gulping down the last of her orange juice, SeeU brought her toast to her mouth as she grabbed her bag and her schedule. 

“Here,” SeeU tried to speak with the toast in her mouth, handing the paper to her mother.

“Hm?” Taking the paper, Galaco began to read it. “Summer Vacation Schedule?” She read the words on the paper, her eyes slowly widening as she continued to read.

“My teacher said she’ll explain the rest,” SeeU told her, taking the toast out of her mouth briefly before finishing it as she left her home. “I’m taking off!” She announced, leaving Galaco in the dining room.

~~~

‘Are you serious?’

Gumi inhaled deeply, trying to hold in the incoming deep sigh she wanted to let out. She found her father sleeping in the family room, wine bottles surrounding him, again.

‘I can’t be bothered…’

Gumi had debated on giving her schedule to her parents, but it dawned on her that even if she had done so, they really wouldn’t remember what was going on at all.

‘Well, it’s not like I go on summer vacations with them anyways.’

Gumi tiptoed to the family room to ensure she didn’t wake her father. Quietly placing the paper on the table, Gumi snuck out of the room, eventually leaving her home.

~~~

“What’s this, about not having a summer vacation?”  
“My child has summer school to go to.”  
“I have to go to my parents’ home.”  
“What will you do with lunch?”  
“Isn’t this going to cost?”

The guardians of most of the students in the class 3-3 had asked their questions, curious to Mayu’s intentions of getting rid of summer vacation. All of them sat in an empty classroom, and the parents asked questions concerning the loss of summer break.

“I want you to understand that your children are making great progress in school,” Mayu began to explain to the guardians. “Would it be okay to let all of their work diminish? If our progress is interrupted, everything we’ve done up til now will go to waste.” As she explained, the parents nodded along in agreement. “I think you’ll understand by looking at your schedules.” As the parents glance through their papers, the door silently cracked open. A blue eye and a red eye started to examine the meeting they, along with two other people, have been overhearing.

“If you think of this as a free private school,” Mayu continued to explain. “I doubt it’s bad for anybody here. For the students planning to go to a private school after graduating, the summer vacation is vital. For those not wishing to attend private school, their days will become more meaningful if they spend a lot of time with their classmates.” As she explained, the parents leaned in, wanting to learn more. “Children grow in the presence of other children after all.”

“I’m satisfied,” one parent said.

“I’ll let my child go,” another exclaimed. Immediately came a chorus of parents agreeing to allow their children to go.

Meanwhile, outside the hallway, Leon held Gumi in his grasp, arm around her neck and a hand covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming in rage over Mayu’s manipulative speech. SeeU tried to calm down the girl in Leo’s arms, and Miki ceased looking through the door, sighing in disbelief.

~~~

“Why?” SeeU sighed, recalling the meeting. “She’s so convincing. Gumi was about to explode, hearing that one part.”

“What was that part again that made Gumi want to scream in agony?” Miki asked.

“Something about us making memories with others here,” Leon answered.

“No wonder,” Miki sighed. “If anything, Gumi is really the only one doing that, and only with us.”

“Mayu is very powerful, isn’t she?” SeeU pondered.

“Gumi, do you feel better?” Leon asked, turning his attention to the girl next to him. The four of them were walking together after school, on the day that was supposed to be the last day of school before summer break. 

“I guess it can’t be helped,” Gumi sighed. “But, when you think about it…”

“Huh?” The four teens stopped, with Miki, SeeU, and Leon turning to face Gumi.

“What are you thinking?” Leon asked.

“Maybe this isn’t a bad opportunity after all,” Gumi answered.

“What? What do you mean?” SeeU asked.

“How so?” Miki wondered.

“We can use this a chance to try to get along with everyone,” Gumi told them. 

“I see,” Leon sighed. “Well, I guess that won’t hurt after all.”

“I’ll go,” SeeU smiled.

“Now, you, SeeU,” Leon turned to face her. “I’m worried about you though.”

“Huh, why?” SeeU asked.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll be bullied again?”

“I got her back,” Gumi reassured him. “And you do too, Leon.”

“That’s right,” Miki replied. “If something happens to SeeU, Leon will protect her.”

“Alright, I got it,” Leon smiled. 

“Then, everyone,” Gumi smiled. “Let’s do it!”


	48. Summer Chaos

_One_

_Two_

_Three_

_Four_

_Five_

_Six_

_Seven_

_Eight ___

__The very first day of what was supposed to be a break from school, twenty-four students follow along to the man speaking in the radio. With each direction given, the teens do as told, with Mayu eyeing them._ _

__“Is it really okay for her to make everyone do radio excercises?” Akiko, looking out the window through the blinds, expressed her concerns and asked worriedly._ _

__“It’s not that much of a problem,” Ueki answered casually, standing next to the female vice-principal and peeking through the blinds. “Everyone did it years ago.”_ _

__“Isn’t it hard though?” Akiko asked._ _

__As soon as she had asked it, the exercise ended and the students race towards their teacher. All of them eagerly desired their sticker, longing for a chance to no longer attend school. All in line, single file, students await for Mayu to place a red sticker on their cards._ _

__Only SeeU, Leon, and Flower didn’t earn their sticker. SeeU and Leon walk off the field casually, but when they wave at Flower, signalling her to come with, she stood there, simply staring at Mayu._ _

__~_ _

__The next day, the first activity given was a pop quiz. Every student tested their knowledge on everything they learned throughout the school year. Everyone focused on writing, most of them determined to get the certificate they desired._ _

__As usual, Flower was the first to stand up and hand her test to Mayu. At this point, due to the activities of the previous day after the radio exercise, Flower already had a row full of stickers, and she had earn her next one for completing her test and answering the right questions._ _

__A few students, desperate to earn a sticker, attempt to finish their test as fast as they can, but they lacked the vast knowledge needed to earn a sticker._ _

__~_ _

__Leon earned his first sticker._ _

__One particular activity done the next day was an athletic sort of activity. Students were to hop several laps around with no use of their arms to support them. It quickly became apparent that Leon could do well in this, and he and Gumi used all their strength to compete to the finish._ _

__When he had finally crossed it, Leon jumped and cheered happily, boasting his win to Gumi, who had been right behind him. He stood in front of Mayu, who placed the sticker on his card. Finally having achieved his first stick, Leon continued to cheer in joy._ _

__… only to see a death glare coming from the cute cinnamon bun._ _

__‘Idiot,’ SeeU mouthed at him, knowing full well her athletic skill are far inferior than Leon._ _

__~_ _

__Their culinary skills were challenged, as they all attempt to cook a juicy, mouth-watering dish. Everyone is full of determination, but not everyone desires the certificate that allows them time off of school._ _

__Not if it meant putting oneself over friends and classmates._ _

__“Sensei!” Miriam calls out, heading towards Mayu with her dish. Ann’s arms shove Miriam away, and she headed towards Mayu first._ _

__“Sensei, try my dish!”_ _

__Immediately, more people came to her._ _

__“Try mine!”_ _

__In their haste, several more students try desperately to finish their food, with only a few few acting nonchalant and uncaring._ _

__~~~_ _

__“Today, as usual, in last place are,” Mayu began to announce as she finished marking the board, tallying up the total amount of stickers each student as earned. “the usual two,” she finished, looking back to them. “Until everyone leaves, think about your actions,” she ordered. Without hesitation, Leon and SeeU stood from their chairs and climbed up on top of their desks._ _

__“Both groups four and six are tied in last place,” Mayu added. “Those six other students must remain to clean up the classroom,” she instructed, walking towards the front of the room._ _

__“Sensei,” Rin called out to her teacher, standing up._ _

__“What is it, Kagamine-san?”_ _

__“Please put me in a different group,” Rin requested._ _

__“Me too,” Kaito joined, standing out and voicing his thoughts. “Because of Kim, I have to stay behind and do work when I done so much to earn stickers.”_ _

__“Satou-san is holding me back,” Rin added._ _

__“Furukawa-san, Hanazono-san, Nakajima-san, and Stein don’t seem to mind,” Mayu pointed out. “And do you two think you have good enough grades to be that arrogant?” She asked. “Shion Kaito has barely more points than Kim Dahee, and Kagamine Rin only has half of what Hanazono Flower has,” Mayu points out, poking fun at saying the full names of her students._ _

__Very subtly, a few students showed faces expression how much they enjoyed the occurring scene._ _

__“The two of you, please bring your cards,” Mayu ordered. “You both have wasted valuable time by asking silly questions, so I’m going to take off points.”_ _

__“What…” Rin whispered._ _

__“But-” Kaito tried to speak, only to be interrupted by his teacher._ _

__“Hurry up.”_ _

__Hesitating a bit, the two former friends walked towards their teachers, with everyone watching as the two had their stickers removed from their cards._ _


	49. Let's Hang Out Together

“Stand,” Oliver announced loudly as the bell rang. “Bow,” he ordered next and everyone bowed as followed. “Bye!” Everyone yelled and began to grab their belongings while Mayu left the classroom. Only eight students remained in the classroom while the rest took off.

“Didn’t you see their faces?” SeeU asked Leon. “They look so gloomy.”

“We need to do something about it,” Gumi suggested, coming towards the two teens sitting on their desks.

“How about a swimsuit contest?” Leon suggested with the biggest grin on his face. 

“No,” SeeU dully told him while Gumi shook her head.

“How about fireworks?” Gumi suggested.

“Or camping?” asked SeeU, but before anyone can say anymore, a broom came between Leon and SeeU.

“Hurry up and clean,” Rin ordered coldly. “You two are causing a lot of trouble for everyone,” she told them off before leaving them.

“Would be much better if that witch didn’t take my stickers,” Kaito grumbled coldly.

“You should’ve known better then,” Oliver told him, overhearing his grumble. “What made you think Mayu would’ve easily let you off?” He asked next. At first surprised that a normally timid boy has called him off, Kaito responded in anger.

“That devil has done nothing but ruined our lives!”

“Mayu ruined our lives, or you’re ruining your own?” Oliver asked next. At first taken aback, Kaito spoke back.

“We wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for that brat!”

“You mean, we wouldn’t be in this situation if your girlfriend wasn’t so self-absorbed?”

At this point, everyone except Flower had focused their attention on the two boys. They all knew what was bound to happen next.

“Stop belittling Ann!”

“Stop putting her so high up a pedestal,” Oliver responded so calmly. “You do that, then you won’t be so hurt when you see the truth yourself.”

“Stop lying! You don’t know her!”

“Says you,” Oliver said, again in a calm tone compared to Kaito’s yelling.

“You’re saying I know nothing about her!?”

“Of course you don’t. If you did know her, you wouldn’t be praising her as if she’s the Mona Lisa.”

“You litt-!”

“Shion, stop making a ruckus and get to work.”

Interrupted and left stunned, Kaito turned slowly and saw Miki next to him, holding a bucket up, indicating his chore he should be doing.

“Clearly, beauty is more important than true friends,” Miki began speaking to him coldly. “But I guess, if someone reminds you of your mother who never loved you, then Ann must be a good substitute for her.”

Even Flower paused in her chore to look up and sense the tension has darkened. Everyone in the classroom, even Rin, was left dumbfounded and witnessing the scene in disbelief. 

“I can’t believe this,” Kaito started chuckling, and Miki can easily tell she struck a nerve in him. “What are you even saying?” Kaito tried to excuse Miki’s words. “My mother loves me.”

“Your mother at home, or your biological mother?”

If the tension wasn’t thick enough, then it surely had surpassed the thick layer and was suffocating the six other students. 

“You wouldn’t…” Kaito whispered, staring at his former friend in disbelief.

“Oh, you didn’t tell your princess about your mother?” Miki asked, arching an eyebrow. “You didn’t tell her you had to move out of your hometown because your stepmom couldn’t stand the hostility of your former neighbors? You didn’t tell her that before she came to your life, you were nothing but a sad, helpless puppy, paying for the crimes your mother committed?”

Without a second thought, Kaito bolted out of Miki’s sight, and everyone noticed that Kaito was no longer in the room.

“Wow… that…” Leon tried to speak next.

“Why are you still on your desk?” Rin asked coldly, turning her attention to him and immediately dismissing the scene she witnessed. “Get up and start cleaning,” she ordered. 

“Miki,” Gumi came towards her. “Are you okay? Did it hurt to yell at your former friend like that?”

“Hurt? Not really,” Miki answered honestly. “But I’m surprised that he never told Ann about his childhood.”

“You would’ve thought that because the two are so close, Kaito would’ve told her everything,” Oliver pointed out. “But I guess not… and I didn’t even know Kaito’s mother is actually his stepmom. So I assume Kaito’s real mother abandoned him and had done something awful?”

As Miki informed Oliver of her knowledge of Kaito’s family, SeeU and Leon finally removed themselves from their desks, only to discover exactly how long they’ve been sitting on them, for their legs had become lifeless.

“Because Shion wouldn’t do it, I’ll go get the bucket of water,” Rin announced. “You guys keep cleaning,” she ordered as she took the bucket from Miki’s hands and left the room.

“Hey, Hana-chan,” SeeU struggled to walk while she came towards Flower and grabbed her shirt while nearly falling. “Do you have an idea of what fun thing we can do?”

“It’s pointless,” Flower told her. “Why keep trying? For people who want to go to a private school, it’s better to listen to Mayu, and then they won’t have to come to school during the third term.”

Flower continued to sweep up, only for SeeU and Leon to continue following her to ask more questions, using desks for supporting themselves as they walk.

“What about those who aren’t going to private school?” SeeU asked.

“They’re working hard so they won’t have to come here anymore,” Flower answered.

“Why are you coming then?” Leon asked.

“I don’t like being home,” Flower answered honestly. “I don’t care about coming here,” she admitted. “But you don’t have to come if you’re worried about Mayu.”

“We’re not giving up,” SeeU informed her. “No matter what happens, we’re not going to quit.”

“Kay then,” Flower said nonchalantly and kept sweeping the floor. 

“Hana-chan!” SeeU reached out and grabbed Flower’s arm. “How about helping us?”

“What are you doing?”

Everyone in the room turned and found Rin standing near the doorway, her eyes focused on the three.

“What were you secretly talking about?” She asked in a demanding tone.

“Hey, Kagami-” SeeU began to speak, but Rin cut her off.

“I get it. You were bad mouthing me,” she accused them. “You want to learn my secrets and tell Mayu.”

“Why do you keep thinking we’re out to get you,” Leon asked coldly. “We’re not petty enough to get revenge on you.”

“We’re thinking of doing something fun for the summer,” SeeU told her with a smile.

“We’re off tomorrow,” Miki reminded them. “How about we hang out together?”

“That’s a good idea,” Gumi agreed.

“We can go to the pool or the park,” Leon suggested. 

“I’ll pass,” Flower told them.

“I’ll pass too,” Rin spoke next.

“Don’t say that,” Gumi spoke up. “It’ll be fun.”

~~~

“So Rin and Flower really aren’t coming…”

“Kinda expected, since they said they aren’t interested.”

The following day, Gumi, SeeU, Leon, Miki, and Oliver met up at the park and had ran around freely, with Gumi having high hopes Flower and Rin would come.

“It’s been an hour now,” Miki pointed out. “We can all just go and find something to do.”

“Isn’t Hana-chan so lonely?” Gumi asked without a second thought.

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?” SeeU asked.

“This past year, I haven’t seen Flower hang out or spend time with anyone in our school,” Gumi explained.

“That’s true,” Miki agreed.

“Actually,” Oliver joined in. “I never saw Flower with anyone since we all started junior high.”

“That’s true,” Leon said. “Flower has always been alone.”

“I remember,” Gumi began to recall her first conversation with Flower. “She said something about not needing friends.”

“That’s sad!” SeeU cried. “Why does she feel that way?”

“Who knows,” Leon sighed. “Maybe something bad happened to her,” he suggested.

“That’s true,” Gumi agreed. “Wait, isn’t Oliver alone too?”

“I have friends,” he answered with a chuckled. “Just not in my class,” he pointed out.

“Hey, how about we become friends with her?” Miki suggested. 

“Yes!”

“I agree!”

“Let’s find her!” Gumi exclaims. “But, uh, I don’t know where she lives,” she admitted embarrassingly.

“Me too…”

“Same…”

“Gah, how are we going to find Hanazono Flower?” Leon cried.

“Hanazono Flower?” The teens heard a voice from a woman nearby. They turned and saw an adult looking towards their direction. “You children know Hanazone Flower?”

“Yes, we do,” Miki answered. “How do you know her?”

“She was very good friends with my daughter,” the woman revealed. “I haven’t seen her for years, but if you want to visit her, I believe she is still in the same home for years. I can give you her address.”

The five teens stared at her in disbelief, only to thank her so happily, now finding a way to visit Flower.

~~~

“Honestly,” Oliver began to speak as the five head towards Flower’s home. “I wish our classmates aren’t so judgmental.”

“Wait, what?” Gumi turned to him. “What do you mean.”

“Several people had badmouthed you guys, especially Ann and her clique of friends,” Oliver revealed. “But because she’s afraid of Mayu, Ann is scared to encourage anyone to bully others anymore.” 

“She’s probably been afraid ever since I worked for Mayu,” Miki pointed out. 

“Enough about our classmates,” said Gumi. “Let’s learn more about Oliver.”

“Huh?”

“Like, who do you live with? Are you an only child? Do you miss your mother?”

“Oh, I see,” Oliver sighed. “Actually, my parents were divorced since I was a baby, but wasn’t because they were on bad terms or anything.”

“What? How come?” SeeU asked.

“My father works abroad and travels frequently, but his main home has been here in Japan since I was a toddler. My mother didn’t want to move from London, so they decided to separate, but they had been on good terms. My father would always visit me whenever he had business in the UK or was on holiday break.”

“That’s good,” Leon stated. “How did you end up living in Japan?”

“When I was six years old, my mother and I were in a bus accident.”

“Oh?” Everyone ceased walking, all eyes turned to Oliver.

“Yeah,” Oliver sighed. “I had multiple injuries and lost sight through my left eye, but my mother was killed instantly.”

“Oh…” Everyone continued to listen and started walking again.

“From there, my father took me to here, so I’ve been living in Japan since.”

“I see,” whispered Miki.

“I’m sorry about your mother,” SeeU told him.

“It’s okay,” Oliver reassured them. “Living here, I got to spend time with my father more. However, he couldn’t leave work and he didn’t want to leave me alone, so he hired a good friend of his to work as a nanny for me, and he also bought me a pet bird that I named James.”

“Your father sounds nice,” SeeU stated.

“What was like living with your nanny?” Gumi asked.

“She’s really nice,” Oliver answered. “She taught me Japanese and always took me to places when my father was absent. Although, I feel she knew that even though I was so young, I could tell her life was unpleasant.”

“What do you mean?” Miki asked.

“She had been so sweet to me, but she also seemed to be apologetic when she fixed my wounds,” Oliver informed them. “I once asked her how she can take care of me so well, and she just looked so surprise when I asked her,” he revealed. “My father told me once that my nanny has two daughters who were all grown up, but I thought it was weird, because with the way my nanny acted, it seemed as though she never had kids.” Oliver sighed before continuing. “I found out why she was like that though when I was eight years old.”

“Oh?” Everyone listened intently, curious to learn more.

“Almost six years ago, my nanny had spent days in her bedroom, and when my father came home, he told her to spend some time alone.” Oliver revealed. “I didn’t see her again until two months later, and when she returned, she sat me down, and she explained to me what had happened. She revealed to me that she never acted like a mother to her two daughters, and as a result, both girls had distance themselves from her and her husband. She admitted she only kept her distance because her husband at the time had told her children shouldn’t grow up with love and affection from their parents.”

“That’s awful!” SeeU exclaimed. 

“When my nanny had left my home, it was because she had learned she had a granddaughter she never met who passed away.”

Everyone stopped walking again and stared at Oliver in shock.

“My nanny left to clear her thoughts and decided to divorce, but she had told me that no matter what she does, her daughters would never forgive her for neglecting them throughout their childhood.”

“That’s sad…” SeeU whispered.

“My nanny is happy right now,” Oliver informed them. “But I can tell she’s longing for a response from her daughters, or at least one of them.”

From there, the five friends began walking again.

“I’m sure that one day, her daughters will come back to her,” Miki stated. “I’m sure they’ll forgive her one day.”

Walking behind the group in silence, Rin peaked through the crowd and watches them, feeling a sense of longing, envy, and regret.


	50. I Don't Need Friends

A finger pressed on the buzzer in front of an apartment home. Five teens waited outside until a voice spoke through the speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hello,” Gumi answered. “I’m Nakajima Megumi from Hanazono Flower’s class,” she introduced herself. “I brought my friends over. We wanted to visit Hana-chan.”

She did not need to speak any further as the door opened, and the five saw a petite figure with long, snow-colored hair welcoming them into her home.

“Please come inside,” she smiled, allowing them into her apartment. “Flower isn’t home right now, but she will be back soon. She’s at the library.” The five teens entered the apartment as the woman removed all her papers from the sofa. “Please, have a seat,” she told them. 

“We’re sorry for intruding,” Miki said on behalf of all of them.

“It’s no problem,” the woman reassured. “It’s been so long since we had company from Flower’s class,” she continued. “I also have some cake. We can all eat some,” she went on, heading to the kitchen and taking the cake out.

“She looks so pretty,” SeeU whispered as they all sat down.

“Is she Flower’s older sister?” Leon asked quietly.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself,” she said as she returned to the living room area, holding a box of cake with plates on top. “I’m Kisaragi Aria, mother of Flower.”

“Kisaragi?” Gumi questioned.

“M-mother!?” Leon gaped.

“Yeah, since divorcing Flower’s father years ago, I’ve returned to my maiden name,” Flower’s mother explained. “Everyone calls me IA though, so feel free to call me that.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Miki bowed, and everyone mimicked her action. Ia passed out the plates and cut pieces of the cake for the five to eat.

“How is Flower in school, if you know?” IA asked them. “Is she doing good.”

“Hana-chan is doing very good!” Gumi answered happily.

“She has good grades without even studying,” SeeU added. Leon nodded in agreement while Miki and Oliver both asked themselves the same question in their head.

‘How come she doesn’t know how her daughter is doing?’

“That’s great,” IA smiled. “I’ve told her to go to a private school back when she was in grade 6. I was so insistent she’d go to Harukaze Junior High, but I guess it’s good she didn’t since the school shut down last year,” IA sighed. “I’m hoping she’s considering going to a private high school at least.” IA continued on. “How is the homeroom teacher though?” She asked next. “Flower never tells me anything about school.”

“Oh? So you don’t know that Flower has been bullied by our teacher?” Leon asked, and by the time he finished that sentence, SeeU quickly hit him, her way of telling him to be quiet while the door silently closed.

“It’s nothing,” SeeU tried to cover for Leon, and although IA had raised her eyebrows, her confusion faded upon seeing her daughter entering their home.

“Welcome back,” IA smiled. “Your friends are here,” she informed her while the five turned to see Flower’s unwelcoming face staring at them.

“What do you guys want?” Flower asked them rudely. 

“That’s a bit rude,” IA tried to scold her daughter. “They came all the way to see you.”

“Stay quiet,” Flower coldly told IA. “You’re not apart of this.”

The five shifted rather uncomfortably while sitting, all of them feeling the tension between IA and Flower thicken. It became all too clear to both Miki and Oliver, just how come IA doesn’t know much about her daughter.

~~~

Flower didn’t want to take the group of friends into her room, but IA insisted, pointing out they came over to see her. The five classmates, still uncomfortable upon discovering the shaky relationship between Flower and IA, tried to make themselves comfortable in Flower’s bedroom. 

“What do you guys want?” Flower asked coldly, sitting down and opening her library book, intending to read. 

“We just wanted to learn more about you,” Gumi smiled, though slightly surprised to see Flower’s behavior to her mother. 

“I guess you don’t have a great relationship with your mother?” Oliver wondered. 

“That’s not important,” Flower stated with no emotion and continued reading.

“That’s nothing to hide,” Leon sighed. “Some of us in the group have pretty bad parents.”

“Don’t you want to hang out with us?” Gumi asked. 

“No,” Flower answered.

“It can be fun though,” Gumi tried to persuade her. 

Meanwhile, Miki had began to observe Flower’s bedroom, noticing the bookshelf with many books and vases full of flowers. Upon seeing a vase with a flower that appeared to have decayed for years, Miki spotted a picture frame hiding behind it while coated in dust. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, Miki extended her hand and grabbed the frame. Wiping the dust off, Miki found herself looking two young girls, both smiling in glee. One girl had violet hair in pigtails, and the girl happily holding her arm had white hair in a ponytail and the biggest smile on her face.

“Oh?” Gumi gaped, behind Miki and staring at the picture. “You looked so cute when you were younger! Who is that girl? Your friend? What gra-”

The minute Flower realized they found it, she wasted no time rushing to the two girls. Interrupting Gumi by shoving her away, Flower snatched the photo away from Miki’s hands. 

“Stop snooping around!” Flower snapped and told off the two girls. SeeU, Leon, and Oliver gaped at her, never expecting to see Flower raise her voice so harshly at anyone.

“Can we at least get along?” Gumi tried to ask. “Let us be friends, please?”

“Stop it!”

Miki realized it. She noticed Flower’s stoic exterior had broken apart, showing Flower’s emotional self.

“I don’t need any friends,” Flower coldly said, keeping her eyes on Gumi’s. “I have no need for friends, and I’m fine without them.”

“Bu-”

“Get out!”

Without wasting a second, Flower placed the photo down and roughly grabbed Gumi’s arm, dragging her to her door. Opening it in a rush, Flower pushes Gumi out of her room. 

“Get out!” Flower commanded in a stern voice while looking at the remaining four. Oliver and SeeU quickly obey and leave, but Leon chose to speak once more.

“There’s no need to be so rude. I guess your friend in that picture left you because you’re this moody.”

“GET THE HELL OUT!”

Miki flinched upon seeing Flower raise her voice loudly, grabbing Leon and kicking him out of her bedroom. Without hesitation, Miki went out too, but not before she bowed slightly at her.

“We’re very sorry.”

As soon as they were out of her bedroom, Flower slammed the door shut, her hands clenching tightly and her breathing irregular. Not too long later, Flower’s knees weaken and she slowly falls to the floor, knelt down and fists holding the door for comfort. 

“I don’t need anyone,” Flower whispered, but the cold tone in her voice has cracked. “I don’t need anyone, not even Aria,” she continued speaking quietly, and she turned her body, allowing her to sit with her knees to her face.

“I only need her…”

She raised her arms to her face, hiding it so Flower can break down alone, with no one there to see her shell has broken down temporarily. 

~~~

“Why did you say that to her, Leon?” Miki asked in a rather bitter tone as the five walked around the apartment complex. 

“It slipped out of my mind,” Leon admitted. “I don’t think that girl in the photo left Flower because she’s like that.”

“Maybe it’s because of that girl in the photo?” SeeU suggested. “Maybe that girl did something to Flower, which made her like that.”

“But guys,” Oliver interrupted. “Flower is so mean to her mother.”

“I noticed,” Miki sighed. 

“What if her mother is involved with that friend?” Miki speculated.

“But how?” SeeU asked.

“I don’t know,” Miki sighed. “This is just so confusing, and we shouldn’t even be prying into Flower’s personal life.”

“Gumi, are you okay? Leon asked, noting how quiet the usually cheery girl is.

“Flower has a secret,” Gumi muttered. “She freaked out when I commented on that picture. Could it…”

Gumi never finished her sentence. Feeling an uneasy sensation, she ceased walking, leading the others to look behind her, only for Miki to notice the one behind them.

“Mayu…”

Miki only whispered her name, but it was enough for SeeU and Leon to jump in shock.

“Why is she here?” Leon asked.

“Should we leave?” SeeU suggested, but Gumi quickly turned around, heading straight towards her.

“Gumi!?”

“What is she doing?”

“Should we follow her?”

“Let’s just wait for her,” Miki suggested.

“Gumi’s not afraid to come towards her,” Oliver commented by the time Gumi stood in front of Mayu.

“As usual, you’re doing pointless things,” Mayu told her. “You say you want to spend the summer with everyone together… open your eyes. To your classmates, you are nothing but a nuisance. In this world, people only care about themselves. It doesn’t matter what happens to others. It may feel as if you’re all getting along, but people like you who don’t know anything will intrude on other people’s lives, becoming the biggest annoyance.”

Gumi had walked towards Mayu, intending to call her out on ruining summer break and making everyone miserable… but Gumi couldn’t ignore the truth hidden in Mayu’s harsh words.

“Give up already,” Mayu insisted. “Outside your group of outcasts, no one wants to be friends with you. Shinzou Kokone has gone and left you, and soon enough, you’ll be alone if you continue to be nothing but a waste of space.”

Mayu left Gumi there, alone with her friends watching from afar. Even more, hiding behind the shadows, Rin overheard Mayu’s words and continued to look at Gumi from the distance, all while trying to ignore the pain of guilt in her stomach.


	51. Write a Letter

SeeU wouldn’t stop staring at her summer sticker card. In her intense gaze towards it, she couldn’t push Flower’s harsh words out of her head.

“I don’t need any friends.”

Flower said those words to the group so coldly, but SeeU couldn’t ponder on why Flower was behaving like this.

“I have no use for friends.”

But why was Flower pushing them away? Why was she keeping everyone away from her? 

“Get out!”

“The future seems very bleak,” SeeU whispered. “I wonder if Gumi is going to keep trying.” Sighing a bit and worrying, SeeU took her cell phone from right next to her on her bed and dialled her.

“SeeU?” Gumi spoke

“Are you feeling okay?” SeeU asked.

“I’m fine, I’m okay.”

“Mayu’s words didn’t affect you today?”

“I’m not going to let her hurt me.”

“You’re brave…”

 

“Haha, not really…”

Suddenly, SeeU heard a violent shriek and glass breaking through her phone.

“Gumi?”

“I gotta go,” Gumi stated abruptly. “It’s nothing important,” she said before hanging up, but was too late to spare SeeU from hearing the shouts in the background.

“You little bitch! Sleeping with a man!”  
“And you spent our money on alcohol, you coward!”

“Were they…” SeeU didn’t want to assume the worst, but she asked Leon, shooting a text at him.

From: SeeU  
Are Gumi’s parents violent?  
Sent at 20:48

In only a few seconds, she received a reply.

From: Leon  
No? Did you hear something?  
Sent at 20:48

Abruptly, SeeU replies to him.

From: SeeU  
I was just talking to her through phone, and I heard something like grass breaking and screaming. A man and a woman were shouting profanities at each other.  
Sent at 20:50

From: Leon  
Huh? I don’t think Gumi’s parents would turn violent, but then… Gumi hasn’t spoken about her parents since her brother’s death four years ago… I’m not sure anymore.   
Sent at 20:52

From: SeeU  
And your parents weren’t great… do you think my parents will be like this too one day? Mom and Dad are always fighting now.  
Sent at 20:55

From: Leon  
Don’t think that. Your parents are not going to be abusive. Don’t think like that… please.   
Sent at 20:57

~~~

Gumi had abruptly left her home as soon as her parents began yet another violent argument. Before leaving, she caught sight of her mother on the floor, her hand holding her face. As Gumi closed the door on her way out, she heard the threat her mother made to her father.

“You dare hit me again, and I’ll kill myself and our daughter so you’ll suffer alone!”

Gumi sighed, wondering if the day can even come when her parents would cease their cowardly threats and just divorce. She was tired of life at home since Ryuto’s death. She couldn’t be bothered to really care for her parents anymore, but since meeting Miku, she had ceased fearing them and became the cheerful teenager she was.

Even if her cheerfulness was really a facade to keep everyone from learning the horrible truth and assume she had only accepted her brother’s demise. Not even Leon and Kokone were aware of the things that happened behind the doors to Gumi’s broken home.

Sighing, Gumi took out her phone and was ready to text Miku, to tell her she was coming to visit, only to see she had received a message. 

From: Leon  
Gumi, are you okay? SeeU said she called you, then you hung up abruptly because something was going on.  
Sent at 20:52

She sighed. She wasn’t willing to tell anyone of the things she has hidden for roughly four years. Being mindful of her surroundings as she walked, Gumi replied back.

From: Gumi  
I’m fine. My mother just fell and hit her head.  
Sent at 21:13

Without waiting for Leon’s reply, Gumi went on to message Miku.

From: Gumi  
Parents are being stupid. I’m on my way over.  
Sent at 21:14

Even though Leon and Kokone - at least until nearly two weeks prior - were her closest friends, Miku was the only one Gumi could consult to when it came to the things at home. Kokone had always been pampered, and Gumi had been afraid of giving Leon flashbacks of his own abuse from the hands of his parents, so Gumi spoke the events that occurred to Miku when the latter had saved her. 

Gumi’s phone vibrated, leading her to read the reply she had received.

From: Miku  
Come on over! I’ll reserve a room for only the two of us.  
Sent at 21:17

Gumi’s smile was small, but sincere, pleased to recall how caring Miku was to her. Gumi was about to put her phone away when she received another message.

From: Leon  
No one is hurting you… right? If anyone hurts you, I’ll protect you.  
Sent at 21:18

Although she nearly paused in surprise, Gumi replied almost immediately.

From: Gumi  
I’m fine!! Just take care of SeeU and Miki! I can take care of myself perfectly fine =D  
Sent at 21:19

Although, Gumi wondered if she really could protect herself…

~~~

“My classmate doesn’t want to open up,” Gumi sighed, sitting next to Miku and venting to her as the two sat inside a room in the karaoke building. “And my teacher said people like me are annoying and only intrude on other people’s lives.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I was so mad… but she’s right.”

“I see,” Miku smiled half forcibly, feeling bad for the teen. “If that’s the case, how about you learn about your classmates?”

“Huh?” Gumi looked at Miku with a face of slight confusion.

“Your teacher is saying that intruding on others’ lives is bad,” Miku began to explain. “So how about you get to know your classmates politely? Like, talk to them, or even write them a letter,” she suggested. 

“I see,” Gumi stared at her, finally understanding it. “Thank you, Miku!” Gumi sincerely thanked her with a smile, and Miku was quick to notice that Gumi’s usual cheerfulness was lacking.

Although Miku knew that Gumi had only became cheerful because she finally found solace in telling an adult the pain she’s gone through… and Miku could see that Gumi was still hurting.

“Gumi,” Miku began to speak. “If things are so bad at home, how about you stay with me tonight?” She offered.

“Thank you,” Gumi spoke quietly. “But I can’t, since... mother-”

“Oh,” Miku closed her eyes and sighed quietly. “I remember that day you told me two years ago,” she recalled. “You told me, when you were in grade 6, you and your best friend were to go on a trip to the beach. You told me your mother came to your bedroom that morning.”

“Yeah,” Gumi recalled. “She came to my bedroom,” she continued, slowly placing her hands around her neck. “She grabbed my throat and she whispered to me...”

_"Don't leave mother alone with that bastard for too long... I'll squeeze you like this if you decide not to come home." ___

__~~~_ _

__Flower couldn’t release the photo from her hands. She couldn’t keep her gaze off the picture. Her orbs stare intently at the girl with the purple pigtails, the child next to the younger Flower. It was a day when the two of them were smiling cheerfully._ _

__“Rion…”_ _

__Flower still recalled the day of the first meeting. A sunny day over four years ago, sitting in class and reading a book, Flower recalled that day when she accidentally knocked her eraser over. The classmate next to her had picked up the eraser and caught Flower’s attention._ _

__“It’s a cute eraser. Don’t lose it!”_ _

__Flower recalled the first time she saw that face. Her smile shone brighter than the sun, and her eyes glimmer in happiness. She had thought, at the time, she was given a gift to bring her former cheerfulness back, and the gift was wrapped in the presence of a small girl._ _

__Sighing, Flower finally looked away from her picture. She hadn’t looked at it for three years, and she had never wanted to see it again._ _

__~~~_ _

__Early Monday morning, Gumi had arrived to school in an extremely enthusiastic mood. Being the first one to arrive in the classroom, she was able to carry out her plan. Going to each desk, Gumi searched for the right letter to insert in the desk. As she continued her actions, Leon had walked in, seeing the usually cheerful Gumi._ _

__“You’re here early and in a good mood,” Leon pointed out._ _

__“I wrote a letter to everyone,” Gumi enlightened him._ _

__“You did that yesterday?” He wondered._ _

__“The entire day,” she smiled, and in that second, Flower walked in quietly._ _

__“Good morning, Hana-chan!” Gumi greeted her enthusiastically and running towards her as Flower ignored her and came to her desk. “This is for you!” Gumi beamed, holding a single letter to her face._ _

__“What is it?” Flower asked, her voice showing lack of interest._ _

__“Just read it,” Gumi smiled. “It’d be nice to get a reply too,” she further added._ _

__“You sure have a lot of free time,” Flower told her without a second thought, and she walked away without a second thought. Slightly irritated with Flower’s cold behavior, Leon went towards Gumi only to snatch the letter out of her hands and walked towards Flower._ _

__“Just read it,” Leon ordered. “She took the time to write a letter for everyone,” he pointed out, but his words were blatantly ignored as Flower walked away while Rin walked in._ _

__“Good morning, Kagami-chan!” Gumi called to her and came next to her. “Can you read my letter?” She asked, holding a letter with Rin’s name on it._ _

__“What is this?” Rin asked in suspicion. “Is this a scheme?” She furthered asked. At the same time, Flower sat down, completely ignoring the letter Leon was holding to her face._ _

__“It’s not like that,” Gumi explained._ _

__“If you have enough time to write that, then clean the room,” Rin ordered. “If the room is dirty, our teacher will scold us.”_ _

__Leon had given up on Flower and left the letter on her desk. Flower had opened her book that she grabbed from her bag and began reading, completely ignoring the world around her. Leon unwillingly helped Rin move a desk around to help them clean, with Gumi slipping a letter in Rin’s desk._ _

__“Hanazono-san, come help us,” Rin called for Flower, noticing the latter intensely reading. “What if our teacher sees us?” Rin tried to persuade Flower to help with no success. Flower had blocked all ears out, focusing only on her book. Irritated with her defiance, Rin walked towards Flower’s desk, unwilling to tolerate her rude behavior. “Hanazono-san, listen to your leader’s orders,” she demanded in a strict tone._ _

__“Why are you so arrogant just because you are Mayu’s pet?”_ _

__Flower, unhappy with Rin trying to distract her from reading, finally spoke up, surprising Gumi and Leon with her choice of words. Flower ceased reading, placing her book down and looking at Rin, eye to eye._ _

__“I guess you can’t help it,” Flower continued to speak. “You’ve always been bad at conversing, and you were never good at athletics. You have to suck up to Mayu or face bullying. I’m going to tell you this though. No one had a problem with you until you sucked up to Mayu. No one cares about you anymore, and no one respects you as a person.”_ _

__Her lips quivered slightly, and she bit them softly before rushing out in seconds, nearly running straight into SeeU._ _

__“Rin-chan!” Gumi cried out, having witness her run off, and SeeU entered, confused on what had happened._ _

__“Geez,” Leon sighed. “Maybe it was a bit much, but finally, someone placed Rin in her place.”_ _

__“What happened?” SeeU asked while Gumi knelt to where Rin’s art bag was._ _

__“Rin was being bossy,” Leon began to explain to SeeU while Gumi took out Rin’s sketchbook. “And Flower called her out on it,” he continued, while Gumi began to skim through the pages._ _

__“I see,” SeeU sighed. “Rin looked upset.”_ _

__“Rin needed to stop with her attitude,” Leon stated, and Gumi stood up, finding what she was looking for, and she held it up for Flower to see. Flower ceased reading, looking at the replica of her in the book._ _

__“Rin-chan had admired you for a very long time,” Gumi began to explain to Flower. “Rin said back in April that she admired you and wanted to be your friend. She really wanted to be your friend.”_ _

__Friend…_ _

__Flower stared at the drawing with an emotionless face. She couldn’t comprehend it. She thought she made herself clear._ _

__“I told you already,” Flower said, looking up at Gumi’s face. “I don’t want friends, and I have absolutely no need for friends.” Making herself clear, Flower stood up and walked off, although to Leon’s tiny delight, she grabbed Gumi’s letter and walked away with it._ _

__SeeU, Leon, and Gumi were left in the classroom._ _

__“You haven’t clean yet?”_ _

__The three turned to see Mayu standing near the doorway. Her black dress held her petite body and added a cold atmosphere to her character._ _

__“Hurry up,” Mayu coldly commanded them. “Your classmates are coming soon,” she reminded them before she turned to leave, but she was stopped._ _

__“Sensei,” SeeU’s voice reached her ears. “Please tell us about Hanazono Flower.”_ _

__Gumi and Leon looked at their friend in surprise, never expecting her to ask their teacher about another student with courage._ _

__“You know all our secrets,” SeeU pointed out. “So you know everything about her, right?” She asked. “What happened to her? Why does she refuse to befriend anyone?”_ _

__Gumi and Leon looked at Mayu, wondering if their teacher would even tell them._ _

__“I’m afraid it’s a rather sad story,” Mayu informed them. “Can you picture it in your head?”_ _


	52. Flower

Up on the rooftop, Flower couldn't keep herself from looking up at the sky. Her book and the envelope were held tightly in her hand. Flower stood quietly, trying desperately to conceal the pain she had hidden for several years.

_xxx_

_"Daddy's home! Daddy's home!" Flower cried as she ran to her father, who proudly entered their apartment home after a long day of work. He picked her up happily and held her tightly in a sweet embrace._

_"Has Flower been a good girl?" He asked with kindness._

_"I got another perfect score in school," she told him in glee._

_"Very good! You're very intelligent, Flower," he told her. "Your IQ might be very high. You never score below perfection."_

_xxx_

_"Daddy! Don't go! Don't go!"_

_"I'm so sorry… I can't stay here anymore. I'll return when my work is stable again."_

_She struggled to free herself from her mother's grasp as she saw his body leave their home and the door close behind him. Her tears had fallen rapidly, and her heart ached, desiring to be with her father again. Her struggle continued for a seemingly long eternity until she broke loose from her mother, and Flower had grabbed the door handle until her mother spoke._

_"Even if you go searching for him now, you won't be able to find him."_

_"Why did he leave!?"_

_"He had to leave!" Ia tried to tell her, but Flower couldn't accept it. She refused to accept it. She knew her father would never leave her like this._

_xxx_

_"You really kicked him out, Aria?"_

_"I had to. He wasn't making any money for us, so why should I work to feed a lazy mouth?"_

_She opened her door silently, only opening it enough so she could peak at her mother and a family friend discussing the divorce._

_"He had a good job though. What could've happened?"_

_"He got dismissed! I warned him to always listen to his boss, but he wouldn't listen to me, and he was out the door. He continued to be so optimistic and taint my daughter's mind with lies on how everything is okay! I need Flower to be selfish and think only for herself. Bad people like him are a waste for her."_

_"But, Aria… he is her father. You can't separate a child from their father. They love each other…"_

_"Love isn't the issue. He needed to follow orders and set a good example for our daughter, and he did neither of these things, so he's out of here and never setting foot here again."_

_"You're not allowing him to see Flower? Isn't that going too far?"_

_"What do you know? You're not a parent. You don't know how hard it is to set a perfect example for your child and ensure they grow up to be successful. I need to have her not make the same mistake I made! People like him are a bad influence to her and need to stay away from her!"_

_She heard enough. Flower closed the door silently, making sure no one noticed she had eavesdropped, and her soul became empty._

_xxx_

_"Flower, won't you help me please?"_

_"..."_

_"Flower?"_

_"..."_

_"Why are you ignoring me? … Please, listen to me?"_

_"Or what, you'll abandon me the same way you abandon dad?"_

_Ia remained silent for a moment as she stared at her daughter in sudden shock. She was speechless for a moment before she tried to speak again._

_"It's not…"_

_"I see," Flower spoke again. "Nevermind," she ended her short conversation with Ia before resuming her homework. Ia kept an emotionless face, but inside, she realized something wasn't right._

_xxx_

_Flower did what she had done in school in every break. She wasn't the kind of person to socialize with other children. She preferred to be lost in the world of books and flower terminology. At the same time, many children weren't interested in befriending her ever since she became cold and hostile. No one knew what made her fall to this state, but they never wanted to bother learning what had happened._

_One day, a girl in her class did what no one ever saw her do._

_"It's your birthday today, right?"_

_Noticing someone is speaking to her, Flower looked up from her book and saw a girl in front of her. Her violet hair was tied up in pigtails, her eyes, the same color as her hair, gave away an innocent and childlike glint, and the pink dress covering her body made her appear to be as sweet as her heart._

_"I decided to buy these for you," she told her innocently, and Flower was given a gift she never expected to receive from an acquaintance._

_"How did you…" Flower tried to speak, but had lost the words she was trying to say, as she was still surprised that her classmate had not only took the time to give her a present, but even picked out such a gift that made her heart sooth away the barrier she created._

_"I've seen you read books about flowers all the time," her classmate explained. "So I thought, maybe you want to plant your own flowers."_

_xxx_

_A year had passed since, and they were inseparable. On a sunny weekend, Flower and Rion had gone to the park together, and Flower took a camera with her so they can enjoy the day with no worries. This was how their friendship had been for over 365 days._

_"Let's take a picture!" Rion cheered, and she and Flower posed with silly, happy faces as Flower took the picture._

_To remember that day, Flower had printed out two pictures, one for Rion and one for herself. It remained framed and dusted in Flower's bedroom, hidden for several years after that day._

_xxx_

_Back in the summer, when she was twelve years old and in her last year of grade school, Flower invited Rion to her home. It had happened many times before, and Ia never seemed to be bothered, and the two were plotting to spend their day with fun and excitement, never suspecting it'd be the last time they would play together._

_By the evening, Rion was about to head home so she can have dinner with her parents when Ia had come up to her. Flower had gone out of her room when she overheard what her mother had said to her dear friend._

_"It's her last year of grade school, and she needs to do her best so she can attend a private school that will brighten her future. You're corrupting her. All Flower wants to do is play and have fun when she needs to focus on her needs. You are not suitable for my daughter. Don't ever come back to this apartment!"_

_"Mother!"_

_"I see," Rion replied, giving a weak, quibbling smile. "I'm sorry," she whispered before running off._

_"How can you do that!?" Flower screamed at her mother. She had tried to run past her, but Ia grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards her, preventing her from leaving._

_"Flower, this is for your own good!"_

_"Yeah, I get it! You don't ever want me to be happy! It's just you who needs to be happy!"_

_"It's not about happiness! It's about being successful!"_

_"If you want to be successful that badly, then just dump me and get out of my life!"_

_Finally breaking free, Flower opened the door out of her home, but she was unable to find Rion and would never be able to see her again._

_xxx_

_"You're Kisaragi Aria, mother of Hanazono Flower, right?"_

_"Yes, may I help you?"_

_"I'm Tone Rion's neighbor. I came in her parents' place. Unfortunately… I have some terrible news that you and your daughter need to be told of. It concerns Rion."_

_Flower had sat in the living room, reading a book in silent solitude. She had no interest in speaking to her mother after what had happened the previous day, but upon hearing her speaking to a neighbor of Rion, Flower stood up and went by the kitchen, close enough to eavesdrop on them. As she listened to what the neighbor explained to Ia, Flower's eyes widened in horror, and she felt her heart being crumbled into many pieces._

_"Flower? Did you hear all of that?"_

_The neighbor had gone and left, and Ia found Flower leaning near the wall, her breathing hitched and her tears falling silently._

_"Flower, it's okay…"_

_"No… you killed her."_

_"What?"_

_"You killed her!"_

_"Flower, it was an accident. This could've happened to anyone-"_

_"But it happened to her all because of what you told her yesterday!"_

_"It was an accident!"_

_"No it wasn't! If you hadn't been selfish and said all those mean things, she would still be alive!"_

_"Flower, please… I'm sorry… it was an accident. Even if I… Even then… I'm sorry-"_

_"You're not sorry! You took both my father and best friend away from me! You only cared about yourself and not my happiness! You sent them both away for your selfish desires!"_

_Immediately afterwards, Flower had ran off, leaving Ia alone in the apartment to realize how wrong she had been._

_xxx_

_"Is Flower okay?"_

_"No… she's not speaking to me. She says her friend's death is my fault."_

_"Hey, it was an accident," a family friend reassured her. "No one saw it coming. No one suspected the driver would have a heart attack."_

_"Even then, Flower wasn't wrong about what she said…"_

_"Let her heal. She'll forgive you soon."_

_"It's been four months… what if she continues to resent me like this even after high school? I won't be surprised if that's the case… I deserve it."_

_"You were only trying your best. You conceived your child by accident, and you never gave up on her. You always thought of doing what you felt was best."_

_"And I messed up… I messed up badly…" ___

__~~~_ _

__Flower's childhood wasn't a secret from Mayu, who granted the trio of friends the privilege of learning what had happened._ _

__"She had distanced herself from her mother and classmates, locking herself up in her own world, and she had created a barrier to keep anyone from getting close to her," Mayu explained. "She's scared," she said, but this time, her sinister smile was absent, replaced with a concerned frown. "She's afraid that the people she like will disappear from her sight, the same way her father and friend had disappeared. She has no courage to make any friends. She's weak."_ _

__They had listened to their teacher as she explained what they needed to know. Having been told everything, Gumi didn't waste a second to rush out of the classroom. Leon and SeeU watch as she went off, only to follow her seconds later._ _

__"That went beyond my expectation," Leon panted as they ran, trying to catch up with Gumi._ _

__"She really is alone," SeeU replied as she jogged right behind him._ _

__

__~~~_ _

__Flower knew she wasn't alone. She sensed another person was on the school roof with her. She turned her head slightly and saw blue eyes staring, only to hide upon being noticed. Flower kept her gaze on the direction where she was, and she poked out again. Flower stared into her eyes and saw the coldness was gone and replaced with sorrow._ _

__Flower had no interest to stare at her anymore and began to walk away. Even then, she was still lost in deep thought, continuing to remember the sweetness that belonged to Rion. Being lost in her thoughts, Flower's feet had become clumsy, and she collapsed after trampling a bit. She wasn't one to be clumsy, and she realized how lost in thought she had become when she sat up, laying on her legs. She had intended to stand herself up, but when she reached to grab her book, the envelope had opened, and the paper inside had let itself free._ _

__She stared at it for a little bit, unable to take her eyes off. Then, hesitantly, her fingers reached towards the paper and gently grabbed it. She unfolded it, and Flower allowed herself to read the contents inside._ _

___Hana-chan!_ _ _

___I want to learn more about you, and I had thought coming to your home would allow me to do so. In the end, I was rude. I am sorry! Even then, I still want to be your friend._ _ _

___Can I ask you several questions? How many books have you read? What is your favorite flower? Are you an only child? I didn't see any other children there. I'm an only child… well, kind of, but anyways, what is your favorite food? Do you have a dream for the future?_ _ _

___Also, if you read anything interesting, let me know! ____ _

____"I'm not going to disappear."_ _ _ _

____Hearing her voice, Flower ceased reading and looked up, seeing green eyes staring directly at her and two separate figures with blonde hair behind._ _ _ _

____"I'll be your friend," Gumi told her with a quiet voice. "I'll always be your friend."_ _ _ _

____"I'll always be your friend too," SeeU spoke next. "Do you remember… when you stood up for me back in April? I was very happy…"_ _ _ _

____"And you boycotted the dance back then," Leon reminded her. "Even though you knew you'd be subjected to bullying by Mayu, you still refused to dance and joined us, even when you were threatened."_ _ _ _

____"I'm very happy we got to be in the same class," Gumi told her, having knelt down next to her. "From the moment I saw you, I decided to be friends with you no matter what."_ _ _ _

____Slowly, Gumi raised her hand up and gently touched her arm. Hesitantly, Flower pushed her hand away._ _ _ _

____"Please," she said quietly. "Please leave me be."_ _ _ _

____Gumi didn't answer, but she silently stood up. She should have expected it, but she had felt that maybe, Flower would break free from the pain. Then again, Gumi also had thought that maybe Flower wasn't ready._ _ _ _

____Following Flower's request, Gumi turned and ran off. SeeU and Leon followed. None of them noticed Rin, who had stood close to them. After they had gone and left, Rin had followed, feeling her sorrow taking over her emotions._ _ _ _

____~~~_ _ _ _

____"How funny."_ _ _ _

____"I can't believe she wrote to everyone."_ _ _ _

____"Why is she wasting her time with this?"_ _ _ _

____By the time she came near the classroom, Gumi was in hearing range of her class's gossip._ _ _ _

____"She's quite interesting."_ _ _ _

____"I should have suspected this. She's too cheerful."_ _ _ _

____"I wonder what kind of oblivious life she's lived in."_ _ _ _

____Gumi breathed deeply. She told herself repeatedly in her head, 'they don't need to know.'_ _ _ _

____"They only need to see the happy me," she whispered, unaware that Leon and SeeU had come near. Leon was about to question her statement until a familiar, arrogant voice spoke loudly._ _ _ _

____"I can't believe this! She had fallen under Kim's spell! She believes I stole the wallet too! This pisses me off!"_ _ _ _

____Upon saying the last part, the trio heard a piece of paper tear apart, followed by more tearing. Unable to keep his composure any longer, Leon took a step into the room, and his blood further boiled, seeing his classmates gleefully tear apart the letters Gumi had written to them._ _ _ _

____"What are you doing!?"_ _ _ _

____Leon couldn't hold his anger any longer as she shoved Yu when the latter had tear up his letter. In quick defense for his friend, Kyo had grabbed Leon and roughly pushed him to the blackboard. This didn't stop Leon as he fought back, chasing them until he and a few others began to wrestle on top of a few desks. Several students cheered at the fight while others stared, unsure of what to do._ _ _ _

____"Stop it!" Gumi cried, rushing into the classroom. Taking a step on a chair and then a desk, Gumi grabbed Yu's shirt and tried to intervene, knowing she'd most likely be injured. In retaliation, Yu roughly pushed Gumi off the desk, unaware of how close they were to the classroom window until it was too late._ _ _ _

____As soon as the glass shattered, everyone ceased their actions as SeeU screamed in horror._ _ _ _

____Flower had regained her composure and was returning to class, only to see Gumi falling from where the window once was._ _ _ _

____As soon as Gumi cried in agony, the reality hits her classmates on what had occurred and everyone rushed out to the hallway, noticing in horror, the pieces of broken glass surrounding her and the red liquid leaking out of her arms and legs and decorating the floor._ _ _ _

____It didn't take long for everyone to realize what they had done._ _ _ _


	53. If You Blindly Follow Mayu...

When she turned at the corner of the hallway, the last thing Mayu expected was her entire class standing outside of the room in a large crowd. These students never stand together without Mayu's presence.

"What are you doing?" She called out fiercely, and almost immediately, her students backed up and opened their crowd apart, giving Mayu a quick answer. Her face doesn't change, but as soon as she saw her student lying on the floor, Mayu was quick to rush over there.

The broken window, the shattered glass, and the puddles of blood was enough for Mayu to piece together what happened.

"Gumi!? Are you okay!?"

It sounded as if she was remaining stoic, but even the least intelligent students caught the frantic concerned tone in their teacher's voice.

"Gumi?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Don't move," Mayu spoke as she grabbed Gumi's ankles, moving them and further examine the cuts on them. Gumi winced in pain, struggling to hold back the tears, something she was able to do successfully when she was at her own home.

~~~

She sat on the stairs, unable to brush off Flower's words. No matter how harsh they were, she knew she was right.

_Always been bad at conversing ___

__Rin was never social, especially after losing the one she loved most in the entire world. The only people she could talk to was Piko and Gakupo, her only friends since childhood… the only two who knew her secret besides Mayu._ _

___Never good at athletics ____ _

____Rin couldn't deny it, she was never an athlete. All Rin could do was art, the only thing she could really do besides academics. Rin couldn't do anything else good, especially playing the violin, something she had been forced into for months, especially after she was gone._ _ _ _

_____Suck up to Mayu or face bullying ____ _ _ _

______Of course she had to suck up to Mayu, or so Rin felt that way. Rin never realized just how much Mayu knew about her until that day happened months ago. Rin couldn't tell anyone about it. She couldn't let anyone know who she was and why she became that way. Besides Gakupo and Piko, who both had been there before her secret was made, Rin wouldn't allow anyone to know, or she would suffer, or so she believed. It was already hard enough being excused from swim class, and changing in separate rooms in the gym locker rooms, so no one would know or see her change. It was all under the excuse that she was frail and easily falls sick, although no one could really understand that since Rin rarely misses a day at school._ _ _ _ _ _

_______No one cares about you anymore ____ _ _ _ _ _

________It couldn't be true, right? Rin wanted so badly to believe it was false, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to wonder just how long it had been since Gakupo and Piko last texted her. Kaito hadn't texted her either._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Had Rin really sucked up to Mayu that much that no one cared for her anymore?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her train of thoughts abruptly ended when her eyes caught a shadow walk by. Looking up, she found her teacher walking in a fast paced, followed by Leon. As soon as she saw the girl in his arms, Rin's eyes widened and she stood up almost immediately. She walked by them quietly, not wanting to be noticed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But she stopped and stood still as soon as she saw a drip of blood fall from her shoe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________~~~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She couldn't feel the pain. Mayu could tell, as she carefully pulled the glass out of her, that Gumi couldn't feel the pain. Gumi didn't flinch, or move, or sniffle as Mayu did her work in taking care of her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Perhaps Gumi had already gone through so much pain that she couldn't feel it anymore, Mayu wondered. She was struggling to hold her tears back when she was lying on the floor with the broken glass. Maybe, sometime between then and now, Gumi felt the pain no more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________But Mayu saw Gumi was still crying in silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________~~~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Leon and Rin had returned to their classmates, although the latter had came from the back stairway next to the classroom, while Leon came by the hallway. As soon as he arrived, he couldn't hold in his anger anymore._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What the hell is wrong with you people!?" He began. "You bastards are the absolute worst!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________As soon as he began, his classmates had nothing to say, allowing him to continue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You are all sissies and cowards! Pathetic! Selfish! Arrogant! Hypocrites! All of you! Gumi went through so much, and this what you guys do to her!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sighing a bit, Leon stopped and breathed before continuing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Gumi said something to me earlier. She told me it was a miracle we ended up together. How likely was it we would all be in class together, she asked… What's wrong with getting along? What's wrong with making good memories? She said she doesn't want to see the class separate this way… Don't you think she's right?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Leon saw the faces of his classmates. All of them, not even trying to hold in their shame for their actions, Leon could tell how bad they all felt, but he wondered if it was really enough for them to realize what they've been doing was wrong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Open your eyes! This all happened because you all blindly followed Mayu!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________From there, the heads of a majority of his classmates had fallen._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We're classmates. We're supposed to protect each other, but all we have been doing is antagonize each other and blame each other for our problems."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________As soon as he finished, Leon walked past his classmates and went straight into class. Flower, close enough to hear his speech, stood up and began to walk towards her classmates. As soon as she stood by the door, Flower took in the sight of all the ripped pieces of paper on the floor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________'Gumi's letters…'_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Flower, without a second thought, stepped into the classroom, and she began to help Leon pick up the pieces. Not too long later, SeeU and Miki stepped in and joined them. The rest of the class remained in their spots, staring at the four in remorse. Rin, taking in what had happened, stepped into the room and knelt down by her desk, reaching the letter Gumi had left for her. Although a little hesitant, Rin opened the letter and began to read what was written inside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________"Hey, Kagami-chan!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________I really miss you! I hope we can hang out together again, like when we practice that dance routine. I would like to see your drawings again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________I notice you never swim in class. I hear it's a medical condition, so I really hope you will recover! Even if you don't feel safe, I'm always here for you!" ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Medical condition, Rin sighed as she read. She recalled wondering, back in those days, if she could tell Gumi what it was all about back then, and why no one could stare at her body. By then, Rin couldn't refrain from looking back at those two weeks she had together with her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________"Then, will you be my friend?" ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________"What are you saying?" Of course, I will be your friend." ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Rin recalled those words so fondly, as if it had all happened yesterday. Even though Rin betrayed her, even when Rin distanced herself from her own friends, even when Rin had acted so cold and untrusting to them…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Gumi never gave up on her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The tears dripped on the letter, and Rin's hands clutched them tightly. How, Rin wondered, how could Gumi had so much hope for her and even forgive her for everything? Rin continued to wondered as her tears continued to fall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________AN: I want to hug them again. I want to. Ack! Anyways, I now got two chapters posted this month! Now after doing other writing, I'll do my best to post another chapter before my birthday. Until then, thank you for reading!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	54. I Am Her Friend

Was this the first time Mayu showed an act of kindness, an act that showed she cared for her students? For a good twenty minutes, Mayu had taken the time to take out the glass impaled in the young girl’s skin. She had also wiped off the blood and patched it up in bandages. Then, she vanished for two minutes, telling Gumi to not move until she returned. In a short time, Mayu returned with a spare uniform and school shoes, as well as a pair of socks, something the school wouldn’t normally supply. 

“You’re a big girl, so I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to dress yourself,” Mayu told her in her usual cold tone. “But do shout if it hurts too much for you to change,” she added before leaving the room, leaving Gumi alone with replacement clothes. 

When she stood herself, the pain in her right ankle, where the biggest wound rests, resonated in her body, but Gumi ignored it as much as she could. Without wasting time, she stripped herself of her bloodied school uniform, leaving it on the floor as she went to put on the spare Mayu had gotten for her. 

When finished, Gumi had began to walk her way out of the nurse’s room, but she found herself limping due to the injury in her ankle. By that time, Mayu walked in and pass Gumi, picking up the uniform from the floor.

“You are free to leave,” Mayu spoke. “You don’t want to see them, right?” She asked, referring to the class.

“I can leave?” Gumi asked.

“If you wish,” Mayu asked. “If you want to return home or go to the park or karaoke bar, you’re free to go.”

“Actually,” Gumi spoke, and she felt she may regret this decision she would make. “I’m fine. I can attend class.”

“I see,” Mayu continued, standing straight and looking directly at Gumi. “Then please return to the class,” she ordered in a calm tone, and Gumi continued out, limping her way to her classroom.

But what was the point in returning, Gumi began to ponder? When the year began, she was hopeful to get along with everyone, even the people she didn’t like… besides Ann, who was far in her list of things she despised along with her parents. Even then, Gumi had tried her hardest to be optimistic, as well as masking all the pain she had inside, keeping a cheerful and ditzy facade, and she had tried to hard to be friendly to everyone.

Since April, everything backfired.

Rin betrayed her to keep her secret.

Piko attacked her, blaming her for Rin’s changed attitude.

The most intelligent students couldn’t see her in the same intelligence level and viewed her as a nuisance.

Everyone shunned her after bruising Ann.

Kokone, her long time best friend, abandoned her out of jealousy towards SeeU.

Flower wanted nothing to do with Gumi and everyone else.

Perhaps Gumi tried too hard to be cheerful, all so no one would knew how much she was hurting, even her own friends. 

She didn’t realize she was close to her classroom until she heard a bit of shuffling in front of her. When she looked up, Gumi saw her classmates, the same ones who tore up her hard work, and she saw they looked at her in a way that clearly showed how ashamed they were of themselves. Regret was written all over their faces, and when Gumi was close to the doorway, they backed up, giving her room to enter.

In front of the crowd, Tianyi held her letter, one opened and not torn, and she took a step forward.

“I can’t lie,” she began to speak. “I enjoyed the letter you wrote to me, and I didn’t want to tear it. Thank you.”

As soon as she finished, the rest of the class sans Oliver, the only other student besides Gumi’s friends to not torn his letter, had their heads down in shame. They couldn’t say the same for themselves.

It wasn’t long until everyone rushed back into the classroom when Mayu appeared from the corner of the hallway. As soon as everyone rushed in, Gumi limped behind, and she entered a room with the floor spotless and no scraps decorating it, and she noticed all the torn up paper had been on the desks of Flower, Leon, Miki, and SeeU. Everyone took their seats, and Mayu walked in, closing the door from behind. 

“Nakajima-san?”

“Y-yeah?” Gumi, about to take her seat, looked up at her teacher.

“Satou-san?”

“Yes,” Leon replied in a gloomy tone.

“What are you doing?” She began to scold them. “The glass out in the hallway is dangerous. Go clean it right away.”

Silently obeying, Leon stood up to grab a broom, and Gumi limped out of the classroom to begin picking up the glass. 

“Everyone else,” Mayu spoke as Gumi came towards the mess. “We will have music class in replacement. Please grab everything,” she concluded and was on her way out the door when a voice spoke up.

“Sensei.”

Gumi had barely touched a piece of glass when she heard the familiar androgynous voice speak up.

“What is it?” Mayu asked, looking directly at her.

“I’ll help Gumi clean up,” Flower answered, and Gumi stared through where the window used to be, her eyes widening slightly in shock, wondering if she heard her right.

“For years,” Flower continued to speak. “I’ve been avoiding people and refused to make friendships, but… Gumi told me, I am her friend. No matter what happens, she told me she’ll always be there for me.”

Everyone remained silent, and they began to ponder as Mayu continued to stare at her. Leon stood in shock, surprised to see Flower speaking up for Gumi.

“I can’t abandon a friend in need,” Flower said. Hearing her make that statement, Mayu returned to her podium, and Miki noticed the same small smile she made from back when Miki told her she’d no longer be her pet.

“Is it okay to do such foolish things, Hanazono?” Mayu questioned her. “What happens if you become friends with them? Would anything good come out of it? Didn’t the outcome of your previous friendship not go well? Say, if something were to happen, would these people be there for you?”

Flower stood still, allowing Mayu to continue.

“If something were to happen, you will be left alone again, and it would be too late to regret it. In this class, there is no one who will be your friend.”

Hearing her teacher’s words, Rin took a glance at Gumi and bit her lip before deciding to stand up for herself.

“Sensei,” Rin spoke up as she stood, and everyone turned to face her.

“What is it?” 

“I am their friend,” Rin answered, and both Leon and Gumi were taken aback from her statement. Even Piko and Gakupo stared, wide eyed, at Rin’s answer.

“This is the first time I ever received a letter from a friend,” Rin continued, and she turned to Gumi as she spoke. “It made very happy,” she added with a smile.

“I’m their friend too,” SeeU stood up and spoke up. “When I’ve been bullied, Gumi had always been there for me,” and then she turned to the girl next to her. “And she taught me not to believe rumors.”

In response, Miki stood up and added, “Gumi taught me that even if the entire world was against me, there was still one person who will stand by me.” She turned to face SeeU, red eyes meeting blue, and she smiled. “And I made new, wonderful friends from her.” She turned her direction back to Mayu. “I’ll help clean up the mess.”

“Me too,” Oliver spoke up and stood. “I’ll help clean.”

“Me too,” said Gakupo next and he stood. “I’ll clean as well.”

“I’m going to help,” Luka announced and she mimicked the last few.

“Me too,” said Tianyi.

“Me too,” said Iroha. “I don’t need the certificate.”

“I don’t need it,” Chika stood next.

“I don’t need it,” Prima said.

“I’ll help,” stood Kyo.

“I’ll clean too,” Wil said next.

“I’ll join,” Yu added.

“It wouldn’t hurt to do chores together,” Bruno spoke up as he stood.

“Of course,” Al replied. “I’m not coming during the summer anymore.”

“I’ll help,” Kokone stood up slowly. “When I think about it, I can do fine without a certificate.”

Only a very few students were left sitting on their chairs as the rest of the class had stood up and spoken out. Mayu looked down at the boy in front of her, and she noticed him pondering in his mind before he hesitantly stood up.

“Me too,” Piko spoke quietly. “I’ll help clean.”

Mayu observed the room and glanced at her students standing up against her. Only Tonio, Miriam, Ann, and Kaito were left sitting in their seats.

“It looks like I need to have a nice talk with everyone,” Mayu began to speak. “This is perfect. I can have personal conversations with everyone.” Her sinister smile grew on her face. 

“Let’s start with Ann Jody.”

Everyone slowly turns to their very well known classmate, and her blue eyes widened in shock. The students began to speculate in silence, perhaps Mayu started with Ann because of how much the latter despised her?

~~~

“Everyone is fooling around,” Mayu began her conference with Ann in a dark classroom, isolated from the world, and the two were in their own world. “No one is taking their studies seriously. They only talk about friendships and making memories,” Mayu continued, referring to certain students in her class. “They’re wasting class time.”

Ann’s sweat slowly dripped down her face, and she forced a chuckle, trying her hardest to hide her inner fright.

“You’re right,” Ann spoke to her. “Everyone needs to take class seriously,” she told her rather forcibly, though she tried her hardest to hide her nervousness, sitting across from her.

“Ann,” Mayu spoke softly yet coldly. “If they try to plot something again, you will tell me, right?”

“Wait,” Ann lost her breath for a moment. “Are you saying you want me to spy on them?”

“You’re not as dumb as you were at the start of the school year,” Mayu smiled wickedly, and Ann no longer had the courage to stand up for herself to her teacher. She sat there, rather awkwardly and losing parts of the confidence she had at the start of the year, when Mayu leaned forward with her head resting on her hands.

“I know.”

Ann sat there, and she quickly speculated Mayu knew something about her childhood that she may use against her.

“If it’s about Furukawa-san, I’m really sorry about that,” Ann spoke up, and her heart was beating rapidly, ready to race from her chest. “It was just a prank.”

“What about the wallet?” Mayu asked, throwing the teen off guard.

“Huh?” She forced a smile. “What wallet?”

“I know,” Mayu began to speak. “I saw you steal Luo Tianyi’s wallet.”

Ann’s blue orbs widen in horror. She thought she had been discreet and her teacher was in the other room that day. Ann had no time to ask how Mayu knew, for her secret was suddenly at risk of being used against her.


End file.
